An Overview of the Buddhadharma By Living Buddha
Sheng-yen Lu FIFTH DAY: MAY 7, 1993 Masters, fellow cultivators, good afternoon. Today is the fifth day of this discourse on An Overview of the Buddhadharma. The subject of today's discussion is the Six Paramitas. On the second day, I discussed the Four Noble Truth~ which is, in fact, one of the most profound and subtle doctrines Buddha Shakyamuni has taught us. Immediately after his Enlightenment, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths. Towards the end of his life, the Buddha also taught the Four Noble Truths. Although the Four Noble Truths are commonly referred to as "suffering, accumulation, extinction, and path," the correct order should be "accumulation, suffering, path, and extinction." What are "accumulation" and "suffering"? The principal idea to understand is that accumulation of karmic obscurations and ignorance from previous lives contributes to one's present suffering. Accumulation is the cause while suffering is the consequence. After understanding the relationship between karmic causes and consequences, one must take up the "path" of spiritual practice. When one successfully reaches the goal of the path, one attains Nirvana, which is the "extinction of all sufferings and afflicting emotions." The doctrine of the Four Noble Truths, although seemingly very simple, has an extremely profound significance. In four key words, it concisely sums up the essence of the Buddha's teachings. During his lifetime, the Buddha taught his disciples to practice meditation, contemplate impermanence, take up renunciation and, finally, to release the self to reach the fruition of arhathood. The Six Paramitas The Six Paramitas [Six Perfections], the topic of today's discussion, refers to practices taken up by practitioners who want to go one step beyond arhathood. These practitioners are not interested in merely becoming arhats, they want to practice the Bodhisattva Way and renounce complete entry into Nirvana until all beings are saved. Actually the whole subject matter of An Overview of the Buddhadharma contains an inherent systematic structure, and, after studying it this life, I have found that it can be approached in the following order: (1) The first step is to understand and actualize the concepts laid down in "Faith, Comprehension, Actualization, and Realization." (2) The "Two Gateways" or two approaches to the Buddhadharma: theoretical versus practical. (3) The Three Non-outflow Studies: Discipline, Stability, and Wisdom. (4) The Four Noble Truths: Accumulation, Suffering, Path, and Extinction. (5) The Five Roots and Five Positive Agents. (6) The Six Paramitas or Six Perfections. (7) The Seven Factors of Enlightenment. (8) The Eightfold Noble Path. (10) The Ten Transcendental Powers of the Tathagata. (12) The Twelve Links that constitute the chain of conditioned arising. By structuring this discourse of An Overview of the Buddhadharma in this numerical fashion from one to twelve, with the omission of nine and eleven, I hope you will find it easier to retain it in your memory. Paramita literally means "that which has reached the other shore." The Six Paramitas, therefore, refer to the six kinds of methods or virtues that enable one to reach the shore of Enlightenment. Actually, some of the elements of the Six Paramitas, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Eightfold Noble Path, have already been covered in previous discussions. For example, three of the Six Paramitas are Discipline, Stability, and Wisdom, which I have already discussed. Also, many factors in the Seven Factors of Enlightenment are very similar to the Six Paramitas. So, I will devote most of the time today to the remaining three paramitas. The Buddha spent many years teaching. For example, it took more than twenty years for the Buddha to teach the Great Wisdom Sutra (Mahaprajnaparamita-sutra). There was a verse describing the order and length of the major sutras. Flower Adornment in the first twenty-one days, This verse means that the first sutra the Buddha expounded on was the Flower Adornment Sutra (Avatamsakasutra). Then the Buddha began the Hinayana teaching, which started with the Agamas and ended with the Vaipulya sutras. Next the Buddha expounded on the teachings of the Great Wisdom (Mahayana), which include many sutras, over a period of twenty-two years. The last sutras the Buddha expounded were the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra. This is a list of the major sutras taught by the Buddha in his life. Most of us here know that the Six Paramitas are: generosity (giving), precepts (discipline), patience or endurance, energy or exertion, meditation (stability), and prajna (wisdom). These six methods constitute the six antidotes for the afflictions in each one of us. We all know, I don't need to remind you, that the greatest enemy one faces in the world is oneself. The goal of practicing Buddhism is to first awaken oneself and then help other sentient beings to achieve awakening. The Six Paramitas work entirely towards the goal of attaining one's own awakening. Generosity is to cure one's greed, precepts are to cure one's undisciplined behavior, patience is to cure one's anger, energy or exertion is to cure one's laxity and slothfulness, meditation is to cure one's lack of concentration, and wisdom is to cure one's stupidity and ignorance. Generosity We will first discuss generosity. We know very well that generosity consists of giving in both the material and spiritual sense, as well as in a non-strategic way. Regarding generosity, there is a very good question one may ask oneself in order to bring more insight into the matter. This same question is often posed by Zen masters to their students. "Is there anything that is yours?" You have to be able to come up with an answer to this question. [A student replied, "Everything is mine."] Well, this is an excellent answer! Since nothing is yours, therefore everything is yours. This is a model answer that exemplifies a certain realization of the Tao. [laughter, audience laughter and applause] Generally a Buddhist practitioner will reply that nothing belongs to one, as this is what is often emphasized to one by one's guru. So, if you offer a view different from what is ordinarily taught and claim that everything belongs to you, you have attained a certain realization. You have realized that there is no separation between you and every phenomenon in the world; therefore, what belongs to others is also yours. This does not mean you are sanctioned to take things away from others! Laughter and audience laughter] It is true that when one achieves realization, one will engender this kind of view, that everything belongs to one. This is also considered a correct view. Ordinarily, a Buddhist teacher teaches, "Nothing belongs to you, including you yourself." In the past, I did not completely understand the meaning behind this. A doctor friend of mine who owns a clinic in Taichung, Dr. Chou Tai-shou, the same pediatrician who cured my son, Fo-chi, of allergic gastroenteritis, used to give me the same piece of advice each time we met. When I was still living in Taichung, each time I ran into him, Dr. Chou would ask me to go with him to a Japanese restaurant or a sushi bar and drink beer. Each time, while he was drinking his beer, he would remark to me, "Only things that you eat and use are yours. Look at this food. It is mine only if I eat it. It is yours only if you eat it." He was pointing out that only things that one had eaten or used could be claimed as one's own; otherwise, nothing else belonged to one. Such a realization of his, albeit different from the Buddhist claim that nothing belongs to one, does indicate a certain level of maturity. At that time, I did not truly understand him. But now, thinking back, what he said was a very realistic statement. If an ordinary person can mature to understand the truth in Dr. Chou's statement, he or she will derive great benefits in life by putting it to use. Many rich people have amassed for themselves a great deal of wealth. When I used to do geomancy inspections, I had the chance to visit the homes of many rich people. What I found was that many of those rich folks had not really put their money to use. They were not living in luxury, and some were actually leading rather sub-standard sorts of lives. A rich man may live a "pauper's life." There are many such rich people who appear to be wealthy, but in reality they live like paupers. The truth about money is that it is merely pieces of paper if it is not used. If one just keeps looking at one's bank book, becoming euphoric when the account gains another digit and refusing to spend any of it, one is being controlled by one's money. That is why there is a certain grain of truth behind the words of Dr. Chou, "Only what you have eaten or used is yours." Things that you cannot eat or use are not yours. One may be very rich, but the wealth is useless if one does not put it to use. Today, as Buddhist practitioners, we have an even deeper level of understanding, and we know that nothing is inherently ours. With such an understanding, the paramita of generosity will manifest itself. Since nothing inherently belongs to one, then why not share what one "has" with other sentient beings? This is generosity. Generosity is to take out all you have and offer it to be used by other sentient beings. [laughter and audience laughter] Many of you will be unable to let go of all your possessions. The ability to let go and give is an external manifestation of one's evolution to the state of "self-release." I remember a particular incident from my childhood. When I was in grade school, I used to run the hundred meters dash. Those of you who have run the hundred meters dash, how fast can you run? Well, San Yuan [to Master Richard Yan], how about you? [audience laughter] About twelve seconds? That is not bad. But, if you had to do it now, wouldn't you be rolling like a ball? [laughter and audience laughter] I used to be able to do it in twelve seconds. Now, I don't know how long it would take me. [audience laughter] Let us have a hundred meters dash event one of these days and find out. In any case, when I was in grade school, I was indeed able to run a hundred meters dash in twelve seconds. I was the shortest one in my class and yet I was the first one to finish the dash every time. As soon as I finished, I would return to the classroom to look for food to eat. Children get hungry very easily. In those days, every student brought a lunch box to schooL When the teacher turned his back to us, we students would sneak some food from our lunch boxes and put it in our mouths. When the teacher turned his back again, we would immediately start chewing. [laughter and audience laughter] So, although the lunch period was scheduled between the fourth and the fifth periods, almost all of our lunches would be gone by the second period. That time, as soon as I returned to my classroom, I thought of eating my lunch. Our lunch boxes were kept inside our desks. Among my classmates, there was one student by the name of Chou Kuo-chang who was very tall and often bullied me. I can still recall his face clearly! [audience laughter] That one time I suddenly had the strong urge to find out what was inside his lunch box. I went over to his desk and opened his lunch box. Wow! There was a soy-pickled egg in it! A food item of high cholesterol! [laughter and audience laughter] I looked around the empty classroom and an idea came to me. I could save my own lunch to eat later during the lunch period. For now, I would eat his first. I picked up the egg and started chomping away. Then I finished all the delicious pickled vegetables and went on to eat a few more mouthfuls of rice. Afterwards, I replaced the cover of his lunch box and returned it to its original spot. Then all the other students came back to the classroom and returned to their own seats. At that moment, I was secretly very happy. [audience laughter] I was in a very good 'mood because I was able to save my own lunch for later by finishing off half of his first! [laughter and audience laughter] Then came the third period, and a loud scream resounded in the classroom. It had come from Chou Kuo-chang. [audience laughter] Honestly, the scream made me feel good. To this day, I can still remember very well this scream of his. [audience laughter] This incident is in fact an illustration of an ordinary mind that is without any spiritual awareness. Generally speaking, a person without spiritual awareness is often reluctant to part with his own possessions, but very generous with other people's. [audience laughter] This is true, isn't it? Everyone is watching out for the big "number one" by placing one's own benefit before other's. One might even totally disregard others by violating other's rights while keeping a close guard on one's own. This is because one lacks the Bodhisattva's heart: Bodhisattvas are different; they know how to give. Ordinary people are concerned with private interests, while Bodhisattvas are completely selfless. In walking the Bodhisattva Way, the Bodhisattvas do not just share with others, they even sacrifice everything they have for others. As Buddhist practitioners, it is very important that we learn to give up private considerations. In fact, after practicing Buddhism and generosity, you will be able to see beyond someone's actions and know how much of it is motivated by private or public concerns. You will see through the various facades and karmic relationships in the undertakings of the sentient beings, and you will not become entangled and go along with those who perform unwholesome deeds. To a person who has not engaged in any Buddhist practice, eating another's lunch is not only acceptable, it is even pleasurable. I was, of course, very happy at the time. Prior to that incident, it was I who would scream when being bullied by him. That one time, I could hear him scream for a change. [laughter and audience laughter] It was definitely a different experience. However, things are different for me today. After becoming a Buddhist, I can only have a heart that is totally open to sentient beings and without a shred of personal concern. One has to constantly reflect on how much of one's mind is on oneself or on others. Only by constantly engaging in such an introspection can one engender the heart of generosity. [audience applause] There is a story about a previous incarnation of Shariputra, of which you might have heard. Although this is a story, it does tell us something about the challenges a Bodhisattva faces. Sixty kalpas ago, Shariputra had not yet met Buddha Shakyamuni, but he had already engendered the desire to become a Bodhisattva and vowed to give up everything he had to help others. As soon as the devas learned of Shariputra's intent, they came to test him. A deva transformed himself into a young man, weeping bitterly on a roadside. Coming upon the wailing young man, Shariputra stopped to inquire and offered help. "My mother is severely ill. Only an eyeball from a young spiritual cultivator can cure her," replied the young man. Shariputra realized he, himself, was exactly the person the young man was looking for -- a young spiritual cultivator who had just made the vow to take up the Bodhisattva Way. After all, he still would have one eyeball left after giving one up. Swiftly he gouged out one of his eyes and offered it to the young man. As soon as the young man got hold of the eyeball, he started stamping his feet, "You have made a mistake. This is from your left eye, what I need is an eyeball from your right eye." Wow! As soon as the first challenge was met, the second challenge surfaced. Wouldn't he be blind without either eyeball? Shariputra thought about his vow of total sacrifice and proceeded to gouge out his other eye. When the young man took hold of the second eyeball, he gave it a sniff and exclaimed, "What kind of eyeball is this? How could a spiritual cultivator's eyeball smell so foul! I don't think you are a true spiritual cultivator at all." He threw the eyeball to the ground and started treading on it with his foot. Although Shariputra was blind, he could hear the squashing sound coming from the trampling of his eyeball. He sighed, "How difficult it is to walk the Bodhisattva Way! I think I might as well go back to paying attention to my own salvation, without thought of others. I will just aim at becoming an arhat instead of a Bodhisattva." As soon as this intent came forth, the devas spoke to him, "Shariputra, please continue on with your cultivation of the Bodhisattva's Way. This was just a test from the devas to find out how strong your determination truly is." From this simple story, one may begin to understand how difficult it is to be a Bodhisattva. Just the paramita of generosity alone is not easy to carry out. Can one sacrifice oneself if faced with a challenge similar to Shariputra's? This story shows how difficult "giving" can be. In this world, one will come across many such incidents. The challenges of a Bodhisattva can be higher than the mountains and deeper than the seas. Therefore, the first paramita is to practice "giving." We have here a thangka of Machig Labdron. She was the first lineage holder of Chöd, the Tibetan Body Offering Practice. Chöd was the major practice taught by Machig Labdron, and "generosity" is the basis of its teaching. Now, among our students, there are some who have requested that I establish a charitable organization for the purpose of practicing generosity. Actually, people with clear perceptions understand that many charitable organizations are not what they purport to be. Someone approached me to give permission to set up a charitable organization. I asked "What kind of charity work are you going to do? Tell me some of your plans." He proceeded to tell me that the first person to benefit from the organization would be himself, as he was unemployed and without any source of income. If that is charity, anyone can do charity! [spoken Taiwanese to audience, laughter] This kind of concept is totally wrong. Another person approached me and said, "Grand Master, you can set up a large charitable organization without spending a single cent. All you need to do is ask students and other people to donate." This is not right either. Why should one not contribute a single cent? Set up that way, the organization should be called the "Charity Intermediary Company." Think about it, if you do that, you are just a mediator asking others to come to you, and letting you do the charitable work for them. Since you are merely a go-between and do not spend any money, the merits would go to the true givers and not to you. That is not charity. True charity consists of giving truly from yourself, including all of what you have. [audience applause] Since the well-known Buddhist charity organization, Tzu Chi Charity, has produced excellent results, many other groups are trying to emulate them. Suddenly, many charitable organizations have sprung up. At the same time, instead of taking an active role in "giving," many people just wait for such organizations to do the job. If an intermediary takes from the public and returns to the public, it is still acceptable. If one fattens one's wallet from the public coffer, that is greed, and this will cause one to descend to hell. Many "charitable" organizations use the following strategy: they appeal to the public to send them the money, then they keep seventy percent for themselves and use only the remaining thirty percent for actual charitable work. This is where the flaw is. Groups who keep only thirty percent for themselves and use seventy percent of the revenue for charity are not as bad. Obviously, there are "charitable" groups which satisfy their own greed under the pretext of charity. True charity or giving is: when one collects ten dollars from the public, one adds two more dollars to it from one's own pocket, and uses the total twelve dollars on public welfare. In our school, we can do this kind of charity with a heart of total giving. Do not think of not spending a single cent and using only other people's money. Many will ask others to donate money to them to build temples. This is wrong. Such funds are not public welfare funds but private welfare funds, with only a very thin line between the latter and complete avarice. The key to the important issue of generosity or giving is provided by the answer to this question: "Is there anything that belongs truly to you?" As Buddhists, we know that nothing inherently belongs to us, and everything ultimately is ours. When one reaches the state wherein the limited ego is completely released or transcended -- a state wherein nothing is one's and yet everything is one's -- any giving or generosity then becomes true charity. Precepts The second paramita is "precepts," which I have already discussed. To abide by the Buddha's precepts is to walk on the Bodhisattva Way and to follow the footsteps and teachings of the Buddha. It leads one to awakening and keeps one from falling back into samsara. Patience Regarding the third paramita of "patience," I have an inquiry here for you to contemplate: Who is slandering me? Such contemplation will lead to an understanding of the highest level. You have to constantly remind yourself, "Who is slandering or making charges against me?" You might reply, "My neighbors are insulting me, the Grand Master is reprimanding me, my wife is scolding me, and my children are reproving me. Not only my superiors, people junior to me are also putting me down. With pressure from above and below, I am turning into a sandwich." The Japanese word for sandwich is San-do-yi-ji. English words incorporated into the Japanese language can sound quite stiff. One time I went to Pizza Hut and ordered by saying, "Give me Sandwich." Perhaps I had been studying Japanese sometime in the past because the employee could not understand my English. [laughter and audience laughter] If one does not practice patience or endurance, one will frequently find oneself feeling as if one is a sandwich, because very few people in this world like to use kind words. Pay attention to what you hear; you will find that people who use malicious remarks greatly outnumber those who speak pleasant words. Although one should not speak ill of others when engaging in chitchats, the opposite is exactly what people like to do. No one likes to talk about one's own faults; it is always someone else's faults. There is a Taiwanese saying that nine out of ten mouths are foul-smelling. This does not mean halitosis, but that nine out of ten people utter words that are unpleasant, abusive, and judgmental. When surrounded by such slandering and judgments, one cannot help but feel like a sandwich. Buddhists have to be patient and endure such situations. It is a difficult task, but consider this: Who is there saying these malicious things about me? Who is there scolding me? Such inquiries will lead one to realize the nature of the emptiness of the ego. Where is the "I" of my past? It has gone into the past and is no longer here. Where am I now? I am here now at the Rainbow Villa giving a teaching. Will this current "I" turn into a past "I"? Definitely! The past "I" no longer exists, and the current "I" will become a past "I" and will also disappear. How about the future "I"? The future "I" is not here yet. So, who is there slandering me? One has to think constantly about the truth behind these questions. Do you realize that even "slandering" itself will also become a thing of the past and disappear? Since you, yourself, will disappear one day, how can the slandering exist on its own? The person who slanders you will also vanish. Fifty years, or a hundred years, from now, who is there to slander you? When you constantly think this way, you will not be tempted to go and commit suicide. [audience applause] I frequently reflect on this truth. Otherwise, I would have committed suicide a long time ago. [laughter] You have to think this way! I ask myself, where was Sheng-yen Lu before he was born? He did not exist. Now Sheng-yen Lu is living in this world and some people are criticizing him, but will this Sheng-yen Lu vanish in the future? Definitely. The Emperor Ch'in of the Ch'in Dynasty [221-207 B.C.] no longer exists, neither do Confucius, Chuang Tzu, and Lao Tzu. Mr. Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek are not here either. Sooner or later, Sheng-yen Lu will also disappear, isn't it so? Will the people who criticize him be here then? No, they also will disappear. Since everyone will disappear, is there really anyone who slanders one? The past no longer exists, the present will become the past, and the future is not here yet! By thinking this way often, I realize there is inherently nothing for one to endure, thus one rises above endurance. In fact, I sometimes feel grateful to people who have criticized me and am appreciative of the energy and labor they have invested in their endeavors. Endurance is therefore transformed into gratefulness and appreciation. At the highest level of endurance, one realizes that one needs not endure anything as there is inherently nothing to endure. [audience applause] Many times people have accused me of putting forth fake light photographs. Is there any point in making a rebuttal? First of all, I do not own a camera. Those light photographs were not developed by me, as I do not have a dark room. Although I am often photographed by others, I do not take pictures myself. These light photographs were sent in by many, many different students. Some people have theorized that the photographs capturing the phenomenon of light were falsified by students in order to please me. However, we are talking not one or two students, but several thousand of them. So, how could all these photographs be fake? People can make whatever conjectures they like; we do not have to become upset because we have not engaged in any deliberate falsification. As for myself, I would find such a falsifying act despicable because what the True Buddha School emphasizes is authenticity. Such "doctoring up" of photographs is cheating and a breaking of the precepts. So, just let nature take its own course. If we happen to get a light photograph, that will be good. If we do not, that does not matter. In any case, we do not have to get upset when we hear such accusations -- this is endurance. Coming back to the issue of the True Buddha Tantric Dharma, I remember there was a student who once raised a question while we were all totally immersed in doing the practice. She asked, "Is it possible to attain Enlightenment by just making these hand gestures and chanting the mantras in front of the Tantric shrine?" Consider this: these are words from my own student! The True Buddha Tantric Dharma is the product of a labor of heart and mind that has taken more than twenty years to become crystallized. She just took a look and decided there was nothing to it because it was so simple. After viewing the video tapes on A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma, one might exclaim, "Oh, I get it now!" Of course, after you watch the tapes, you get it. But, if you have not been shown it, would you have gotten it? Many of the intricate parts of the practice are a distillation of what I have learned over a course of more than two decades. After watching the tapes once, you are able to practice accordingly and claim it as your own. It is a simple process for you, but if there were no such instruction, would you have known it? There is an itinerant entertainers' saying in China: a trade secret is not worth much after it is revealed but, if no one tells you, it will take you three years to figure it out on your own. A magician can make objects appear magically from out of nowhere. How it is accomplished is the magician's trade secret. Once, when I was a child, I became totally awed by a magician and started chasing after him to beg him to teach me. He asked me what I would like to learn. I said I would be satisfied if he would only teach me this one trick -- to make money appear. [audience laughter] He replied that he would have no need to ply his trade if he could do that. What I have discussed in A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma are the keys to visua1ization, mudra, and mantra. Although students who have practiced for many years will notice right away the intricate points being disclosed, those who are exposed to such material for the first time may not be that impressed. When we hear doubtful remarks from the latter, we just have to be patient and practice endurance. After spending some time in explaining how to do the practice for her, this student finally asked, "Why should I attain Buddhahood?" [audience laughter] I asked her back, "Why did you take refuge?" She said, "I was just doing what my friends were doing." So, she was being a conformist and following the pack! I explained to her that the fruition of Buddhahood is wonderful, a realm of ultimate bliss, peace, tranquility, and perfection. She professed that she was not interested at all in such a realm. "Then what do you want to be?" I asked her. She replied, "I want to be a dog." [audience laughter] Oh, my heaven! It is terrible to run into this kind of student. To her, it is a good idea to be a dog, especially in the United States where the supermarkets are well stocked with all kinds of dog chow. When a poor foreign student with limited English first comes to the United States, he or she might buy many cans of dog food for consumption because they are cheap. [audience laughter] Indeed, dogs in America have a good life. They are well taken care of by their owners, who share beds with them, bathe them, blow dry their hair, clothe them in the winter, and stroll with them in the parks. Dogs seem to fare better in life than men, being fed without having to do any work. When she finished extolling the benefits of being a dog, I said, "You have not met any Cantonese yet." [uproar of audience laughter and applause] It is a fact that there are always both sides to an issue. I have totally devoted and immersed myself in the study of Tantric practice. It is heart-rending to make an offering to others of the cream of what I have learned, and be turned down. When faced with the kind of attitude that some students have towards the Dharma, I just have to be patient. As a founder of the True Buddha School, many people feel that I am highly revered and am constantly being paid homage to by 1.5 million students. They do not know that I also pay the same kind of homage to my gurus, although a few of them have said good-bye to me. In the past, I have experienced great inadequacy in front of my gurus, who would criticize everything that I did. Just recently, together with some of the masters from the True Buddha School, I visited Guru Thubten Taerchi in Hong Kong. I was given a seat next to Guru Thubten Taerchi while the other masters sat below us. As a distinction between the guru and the student, Guru Thubten Taerchi sat on two cushions while I sat on one. After we were seated, Guru Thubten Taerchi turned to me and said, "I need to reprimand you for something that you have done." He said that in front of all the students, without any concern about saving face for me, the founder of True Buddha School, the honorable guru, the Living Buddha Lian-sheng, the Flower Light Self-Mastery Buddha! [audience laughter] Guru Thubten Taerchi continued, "Would you define our relationship as one of guru and disciple or of friends?" I replied, "One of guru and disciple." "Very well, then, why have you made such a mess of the task I gave you last time?" Actually, I did not know the details of this task because after it was delegated to me, I delegated it to someone below me. [audience laughter] Right after I had gotten the telephone call from my guru, I immediately asked some of our masters and students to take care of the matter. At the same time, Guru Thubten Taerchi, being quite impatient, also had delegated the same task to another person. It took us two months to get the task accomplished, while the other party was able to report back to him in one month. As a result, he was unhappy with me for ten days and actually was considering whether he should have me "stripped," like someone having their martial prowess "stripped" in martial arts fiction. [audience laughter] Fortunately, he had a dream which made him change his mind. He did not disclose the content of the dream, but it persuaded him to keep me as his student. From what he said, I gathered that a certain Bodhisattva had appeared in his dream to tell him that I still had great reverence for him in my heart. After ten days of displeasure with me, he had a change of mind, but he also decided to give me a lesson when I visited him. He said he had something to give me and, while extending both of my hands out to accept the item he was handing to me, he asked, "Is this the way you are supposed to behave?" He was neither smiling nor speaking softly. "Kneel down!" He ordered. Do you know then what this honored guru of yours, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, the founder of True Buddha School, the Flower Light Self-Mastery Buddha, did? I knelt down obediently. As soon as I knelt down in front of him, all the other masters and students who had come with me also got up from their seats and knelt down. One has to have complete faith in one's guru. I did not argue with him or try to justify that it was not my fault, as I already had delegated the job to my staff. There was nothing to rationalize. In the past, when my other gurus reprimanded me, I just knelt down and repented for my error. I never tried to reason with them, because they already had their minds made up and would not listen to any of my reasoning anyway. Some of the experiences I had with one of my masters were quite miserable. He would raise up a hand to hit me and, if I tried to evade it, the other hand of his would come down even harder. [audience laughter] Now, Guru Thubten Taerchi reprimands me whenever it pleases him. He has been doing that for ten years and is still not tired of it. [audience laughter] He is the guru, and I just have to graciously accept his treatment of me. Honestly, what else could I have said at that time? I could not say, "Hey, if you scold me like this again, I am going to leave you." I could not have said that. In Vajrayana, the Samaya Pledge one makes at the time of taking refuge is sacrosanct. If one leaves one's guru, one will violate the Samaya Pledge. The Samaya Pledge is not any ordinary vow; it is the most important Buddhist vow that aligns one with the guru and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas during the meditative state. My guru can scold me and order me to kneel down, and I will do whatever he asks me to. I am completely one-minded, without any doubts, about my guru. If I feel even a trace of aversion or even a little out of tune with my guru, the channel between the guru and me will no longer be open; it will become blocked at my end, and I will not receive any lineage empowerment from him. Afterwards, Guru Thubten Taerchi asked me to go up to the mezzanine. There he wrote a Tibetan mantra for me and asked me to be the successor to his lineage. So, what he had been doing to me was a test. First, he mistreated me to ascertain if I could endure the hurt. He had to kill me first to see if I could endure the death of the ego. If I still returned to him, then he would transmit the lineage to me. Several of my gurus have employed similar methods to test me. A Tantrist has to be patient with one's gurus and not argue with them. The education of a Tantrist is more vigorous than that of a soldier. While studying under Marpa, Milarepa was physically beaten up by his guru. Marpa also instructed Milarepa to build a triangular shaped house, then ordered him to tear it down after its completion. The same sequence of events was repeated with houses of various other shapes: round, square, and semi-circular. Not knowing the true purpose of the guru, a disciple might question the rationality behind such tribulations. Actually, through the hardship of the building and dismantling of the various shaped houses, the disciple was removing his own obscurations, as well as learning the various karma-yogas of purification [circular altar], enhancement [square altar], magnetization [semicircular altar], and subjugation [triangular altar]. My gurus were even more demanding. They scolded me, and ordered me to kneel and crawl around before passing the transmission to me. This is how a Tantrist earns his or her learning -- by not retreating after taking refuge in a guru. While a practitioner of the scriptural school may turn back from the path without suffering any retribution, the Samaya Pledge in Vajrayana can cause a reneging Tantrist to fall into the Vajra Hell. As a Tantrist, could I have turned my back on my gurus? Lama Shakya Cheng-kung was very strict with me, Monk Liao-ming has beaten me, and now Guru Thubten Taerchi of Hong Kong has been scolding me for ten years, but I have not dared to raise half a thought, let alone a single whole thought, of receding from the path. The Samaya Pledge is not a vow to be taken lightly. In Vajrayana, a guru will put one through trials and tribulations to test one's patience. When one indeed proves to have an inviolate will to cultivate the Tao, the guru will transmit the authentic practice to one. From Lama Shakya Cheng-kung, I received many empowerments as well as many trials. From Monk Liao-ming, I was given many "humiliations" -- I cannot call them such, [laughter] as they were more like "blames" I had to take on. But he did tell me this, "The more blames you shoulder, the more disasters you meet, the higher your achievement will be." To be reprimanded in front of my students completely took away my facade, but I did not care at all about saving my face, Can a Buddhist worry about saving face? That day, in front of Guru Thubten Taerchi, more than ten masters and students were present. Those of you who were present, raise your hands now. [A group of students including masters and reverends raise their hands.] Quite a few, and not everyone who witnessed the scene that day is here. If, while my guru was scolding and blaming me, I had been concerned about losing my face and had decided to get up, declaring that I was going to quit and leave, I would have broken the Samaya Pledge. It would also have meant that I had not learned any patience. Since I have taken refuge in him, I would have to abide by the Samaya Pledge even if he were to beat me to death. This is the kind of determination I have. I deserve to die in the hands of my guru if he chooses to beat me to death. In fact, I would consider it an early deliverance and rebirth to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, expedited by my guru. If I have outlived my purpose in this life, I can always come back in another life to continue helping the sentient beings. As Buddhists, what we are learning from our gurus today are their good qualities. One day, when you become a guru yourself, if you have learned nothing except how to treat your students the way my gurus have treated me, your students will be in misery. Anyway, I do have faith and confidence in my own gurus. As long as I have taken refuge in them, I consider them as Buddhas. They can fix me up, scold me, help me fulfill my mission, or beat me to death. Such is the attitude a Vajrayana student should have. [audience applause] Otherwise, one should not go and take refuge. If you know you are taking refuge in the Vajrayana pathway, and you make the decision to take refuge in a Vajrayana guru, you have to have complete faith in the guru. By upholding an undoubting faith in your guru, you keep your Samaya Pledge intact. You also succeed in the practice of patience. Energy Next we will discuss the paramita of energy. Like sailing a boat against the current, one must have energy or exertion to forge ahead, or one will be driven back. To be energetic on the pathway is to be constantly mindful of the following question, "Is there anyone who can remain as zealous about attaining Buddhahood as when the first aspiration is sparked? Who is that person?" Then you have to think of yourself and be mindful of your own initial aspiration. When you are walking, you have to ask yourself, "Why am I walking on this path?" When you are residing in your house, you have to ask yourself, "Why am I now residing in this house? What is the purpose behind it?" When you are sitting down, you have to ask yourself, "Why am I sitting here?" When you are lying down, you have to think, "Why am I lying here?" The goal of asking such questions is to bring the focus of your energy back to cultivation in every task that you undertake. For example, tonight you tell yourself, "Well, I am going to relax today. Tomorrow is Saturday and the day after is Sunday. It is the weekend, so go outside, tour, barbecue and go anywhere you like. Go to a movie, a store, any place you choose." [Grand Master spoke in English to audience applause.] However, when you walk into the movie theatre, you must think to yourself, "Why am I walking here?" When you are barbecuing, you have to think of this, "Why am I barbecuing?" When you are climbing a mountain and having a picnic, you must also ask yourself the same questions. This is "mindful walking." Sometimes you will take a wrong path. "Wow, it is Friday night, now we can go see ... go see what? Topless!" [Grand Master spoke in English to audience laughter] Topless is striptease, and it is called "toppuresu" in Japanese. My mother is nodding. [laughter and audience laughter] I love to joke around. We have two tulkus living in the area whose names sound like "Topless" and "Chocolate." I have been calling them Topless Rinpoche and Chocolate Rinpoche. [audience laughter] When you are relaxing, whatever you are doing, you have to ask yourself, "Why am I walking on this track? Why am I going to a strip-tease joint?" This is to remind you to put energy back into the path and be aware that whatever you are doing can distract you from the proper path. In general, as a means of relaxation, you can go and watch a movie; but watching a striptease is not advised, as it will fan your lust and detract you from the path. Asking yourself such questions keeps you energetically focused. When you are focused, it will help you realize when you are doing something that you should not be doing. In addition, chanting [the Buddha's epithet or mantra] while you are walking is another way of keeping yourself energetically focused. Whether walking, resting, sitting, or lying down, you have to be energetic. Even while lying down, you can continue to chant! Pray to your Personal Deity or guru to bless you with a good night's sleep that is filled with luminosity and without any undesirable dreams. In every undertaking, you can pray to your guru and Personal Deity to bless you. This is one way of keeping up the energy of spiritual cultivation. Energy or zeal can sometimes bring forth wonderful and perfect creations. Take the True Buddha Tantric Dharma as an example. It is a result of my energetic studying of the Tantric Dharma. [audience applause] When I read the sutras, I always have a pen in hand. If! come across a wonderful or subtle line, I immediately circle it and write a comment beside it. Then I will find the key point of the chapter and underscore it several times. This is how I read books written by the ancient sages and Bodhisattvas. While marking the books, this thought has occurred to me: If the author of this book knew that there would be, in the future, a Sheng-yen Lu who would study this book with such zealousness, he would emerge from this book and utter to me, 'You are indeed my bosom friend.'" [audience applause] This is how serious I am when I read the sutras. I study every single volume in the Buddhist Canon very carefully, underscoring passages and writing comments. I believe the writers, bookmakers, and people who have expounded on these sutras -- sages and Bodhisattvas -- would appear before me to tell me, "Finally there is someone who has studied my writings very carefully and commented upon them." This is how energetic I am in my practice. Many people on the outside are not aware of it. The energy I put into my writing is just as great. I have completed my 105th book and am writing now the 106th. [audience applause] Many people criticize me, not knowing that I am actually very energetic about my practice. I write daily without a day's break. Even during this period, while this discourse is being given, I still spend each morning writing. If a person wants to succeed in whatever he is doing, he must be energetic and totally abandon himself to the task. You might say, "Rumor has it that Sheng-yen Lu is a swindler." A swindler would cheat you today and vanish tomorrow, but I have been grinding slowly on my writing pad every single morning, and have written 106 books! Is this the action of a swindler? I have dedicated all my energy from this life into the studying of the Buddhadharma. My heart and soul are totally devoted to the Buddhadharma. This is the paramita of energy. [audience applause] Many students are also very vigorous and energetic in their cultivation, and devote themselves to chanting every day. Master Lian-ching, Go On-men, gives students lists of homework specifying the number of mantra chantings and prostrations. Also, Master Samantha of the Purple Lotus Society often gives homework to the students, specifying number of good deeds one has to perform, the number of mantras one has to chant, and the number of copies of sutras one has to print for distribution. I know many students are very energetic in their cultivation. However, many others are too relaxed. After taking refuge, they only go occasionally to group meditation and do not do any meditation at home. They find the daily practice to be a chore and drudgery, and cannot derive any pleasure from it. They even regret having taken refuge and having made the commitment to do a daily practice in their personal shrine. They would rather go and have a drink. When one harbors this kind of feeling, one will never be able to reach any fruition in one's cultivation. To be energetic in one's practice is to totally abandon oneself to the practice. Many people are very serious and energetic when they first make the resolution to do spiritual cultivation. The Avatamsaka Sutra says that, if one can uphold this initial zeal, one will attain Buddhahood. [audience applause] When they first become Buddhists, many students make the following vows in front of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, "I will support the True Buddha School and the Grand Master until the end of my life." "I will try my best to learn the Buddhadharma until the end of this life." "I vow to follow the Grand Master in this life as well as in all of my future lives." Well, in a few short years, their initial zeal is spent, and they are gone. [laughter] Therefore, it is paramount to remain energetic and uphold the initial zeal. When one does that, one definitely will attain Buddhahood. [audience applause] By coupling initial zeal with perseverance, one will arrive at spiritual fruition. Otherwise, one is just a creature with a tiger's head and a mouse's tail, as the Taiwanese saying goes. This kind of fizzling out after a strong start is not unique just to our students; many masters also exhibit this kind of behavior. In the beginning, these masters came to me and spoke passionately, "Grand Master, I want to support you in this life and follow you forever. I want to pay homage to you and support the True Buddha Tantric Dharma ..:' I told them, "Don't rush it, let me take some time to observe you first." While I was still observing, the hot air was already leaving the balloon. Their initial zeal was excellent, but they have no perseverance. This is a flaw of human beings. I asked one of the masters, "Why are you like this now?" He replied, "I have become sick." "What kind of illness?" I asked. "Terminal illness," he said. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, he completely lost his initial enthusiasm. The Avatamsaka Sutra states very clearly that the coupling of initial zeal with perseverance definitely will enable one to attain Buddhahood. [audience applause1To have zeal with perseverance is to be energetic. This energy is extremely important because there will be no spiritual accomplishment without it. Meditation and Prajna (Wisdom) The fifth and sixth paramitas are respectively "meditation" and "wisdom," and these I discussed yesterday. Together with generosity, precepts, endurance, and energy, they form the Six Paramitas. When these six virtues are given a full play and applied in all activities, thev will enable one to reach the other shore. After a Buddhist learns the Four Noble Truths and attains arhatship, he or she needs to practice the Six Paramitas to transform into a Bodhisattva. The Six Paramitas are practiced by Bodhisattvas on the Mahayana Path. At the beginning and end of his teaching mission, Buddha Shakyamuni taught the Four Noble Truths. The ideas pertaining to the Mahayana Bodhisattva Way were taught by the Buddha during the middle of his teaching career. As Buddhists, you have to abide by the precepts of the Buddha, practice the Six Paramitas, understand the doctrine of impermanence, and know how to practice renunciation. Or, you may practice as a lay Buddhist. Whether one is a monk or a householder, there are skillful means which one may employ to attain similar spiritual accomplishment. When one practices the Six Paramitas, one is a Bodhisattva. A key point in the practice of the Buddhadharma is to transform oneself from an arhat to a Bodhisattva, then to achieve self-awakening and help others to achieve awakening. When one achieves perfection in awareness and activities, one arrives at the fruition of Buddhahood. This ends my discussion on the Three Non-outflow Studies and the Six Paramitas. We will stop here today. Om Mani Padme Hum. |
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