Table of Contents
Teachings of Master Man Sang: Sutra of the Eight
Realizations of Great Beings
Story From the Sutras: The Wise Remain Unswayed
Changing With Circumstances: Accomplishing
Merit
By Dharma Master Yin Chi
Buddhism attaches great
importance to karmic connections. A saying goes: “Before gaining Buddhahood,
form human relationships.” We have all
experienced the workings of karma in our daily lives. Sometimes, for unknown
reasons, we take an immediate liking to someone we meet for the first time. On
other occasions we develop an instant revulsion. Most people find it hard to
explain such reactions, but Buddhism readily provides a plausible answer: Such
responses are due to positive or negative karmic ties forged in past lifetimes!
Nothing
exceeds the Sea-Land Dharma service in terms of forming karmic relationships.
Offerings made there are boundless in their scope. We develop karmic connections
not only to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but also with all sentient beings. During
the service, therefore, participants must respectfully and compassionately
contemplate making offerings on a basis of equality.
The
Sea-Land is an exceptionally auspicious as well as joyful occasion. That’s
because the targets of its offerings are especially numerous. In terms of
categories, they include beings of the sacred and ordinary realms. They range
from Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas and Sravakas
to asuras, celestial and human beings, animals,
hungry ghosts and hell beings. All are given offerings on an equal basis,
without discrimination.
There
are no restrictions in terms of time, as past, present and future are
transcended. In terms of space, there are no boundaries; beings that fly, walk
or swim are all included. That’s why we refer to the “Dharma ground of the
great vegetarian banquet of deliverance for beings sacred and ordinary, in the
sea and on land, from the ten directions.” To sum up, beings in all Dharma
realms can benefit from the service and form good karmic ties with us.
There
are many altars at the Sea-Land service. The Dharma activities at the inner
altar are carried out with great respect and discipline. The outer altar
features an endless stream of reverential and penitential rites as well as recitations
of scriptures and dharani, encompassing many Dharma schools. There
are plentiful offerings at the altars. Especially fine and distinctive are
those at the 24 places in the inner altar, which consist of flowers, lamps and
fruits. They symbolize respectful giving to beings of the four sacred and six
ordinary realms. The duration of the service is substantial – eight days and
seven nights of non-stop Dharma activities and diligent practice.
Thus
the Sea-Land is Buddhism’s largest and most splendid service, the one with the
greatest merit. Because the recipients of its offerings and deliverance are
unlimited, the karmic bonds formed are also the broadest and deepest.
Historically
Sea-Land services were initiated by Chinese emperors. Indeed, only monarchs
possessed the human, material and financial resources needed to organize them. Today,
our monastery’s Sea-Land service can be said to result from the karmic
convergence of countless factors. Monastics and householders joined hearts and
hands to accomplish, bit by bit, this rare and precious event.
We
should cherish the circumstances and be happy that we have the good fortune to
participate in the service, making a contribution – money, effort or goodwill –
and forming wholesome karmic ties with all beings everywhere. From another
perspective, though we are only delivering our own ancestors or blessing our
relatives, actually we are using this occasion to meet all sacred and ordinary
beings in the context of the Dharma.
The
proceedings in the inner altar are pure and dignified. The presiding monastic
leads the assembly in focused contemplation according to Dharma prescriptions.
With great sincerity and diligence, the assembly asks the Buddhas for support
so that the living can have longevity and good fortune, and that the seeds and
virtuous roots of Buddhahood be planted in them. Through Dharma discourses and
posthumous precepts, the deceased can obtain true refuge and rebirth in the
Pure Land.
The
inner altar’s rigorous requirements mean that the merit of the participants is immeasurable.
The outer altar features a wide range of rituals, penitence and
sutra-recitations. They are expedient means to accommodate beings with
different capabilities and inclinations. Opening the proceedings to the public allows
more people to participate and use the circumstances to plant wholesome roots.
Though less demanding than the inner altar, the outer one is little different
in terms of purity and sincerity of practice.
The
Sea-Land service will soon begin. On the surface, it may seem that we are just
warming up. Actually we began our practice back in July, and our attitude of
sincerity, respect and support was triggered long ago. The assembly heeded our
calls and daily recited scriptures, dharanis and Amitabha Buddha’s name,
dedicating the merit towards the service and asking for support from Buddhas
and celestial beings so it can open smoothly, and participants’ wishes be
fulfilled.
Though
Lo Hon Monastery’s grounds are small and its resources limited, our wish to
contribute is great. We hope the assembly will maintain its resolve so the
service will be a success. May all who give of themselves obtain what they
wish, and participants accommodate our shortcomings. May they aspire to bodhicitta and form karmic ties to all
beings. May they share in the joy that arises from giving financially and of
the Dharma, and may their good fortune grow without limit!
Sutra of the Eight Realizations of
Great Beings
These Eight Realizations represent the
awakenings of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and great beings. They practice
diligently, compassionately cultivating wisdom and sailing on the ship of the
Dharma to the other shore. Then they re-enter the cycle of rebirth to deliver
sentient beings. They instruct all beings with the Eight Realizations, enabling
them to abandon the five desires and turn their minds towards the sacred path.
If followers of the Buddha recite the realizations mindfully, they can
eliminate immeasurable negative karma. They will attain wisdom and proceed
rapidly to enlightenment. They will forever leave behind birth and death, and
dwell constantly in happiness.
This sutra can be divided into three
parts. In the first, the text begins: “Followers of the Buddha should, day and
night, recall and recite the Eight Realizations of Great Beings.” This is the
beginning of the Introductory Section. The second part is the Main Section,
encompassing the First through the Eighth Realizations. It is the core of the
sutra. The third part, which summarizes the entire text, is the Circulation
Section.
It is the result of “circulation”
that we now have the chance to hear, read and recite the Sutra of the Eight Realizations of Great Beings. We should continue
to transmit and propagate it in an unimpeded manner, like flowing water. It
should pass from a single individual to ten persons and then to a thousand, so
that all can understand its teachings and learn how the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas gain awakening. They could thus practice and become Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas themselves.
“These Eight Realizations” encompass
the First Realization (worldly things are impermanent) through the Eighth
(ultimate joy). We must not make light of them, thinking they are simple. They
are not easy to practice, as they constitute eight principles realized by
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and great beings. Buddhas are enlightened beings, while
Bodhisattvas are their senior disciples. Bodhisattvas who realize these eight
teachings are great awakened beings who possess the fullest wisdom and
compassion. Therefore they are known as “great beings.”
If we hear, understand and realize
the eight teachings, we too can be called great beings. The Buddha told us
about the Eight Realizations. Having heard them, we should reflect on them and
carry them out. We should “practice diligently, compassionately cultivating
wisdom.” Diligence also requires focus and avoidance of distractions.
Realizing that the five desires
bring pain, we must be content to have few longings. We should purify our
bodies and minds. Knowing the suffering associated with repeated rebirth, we
must seek to transcend it and gain Buddhahood, then help other sentient beings
do the same. Together with them, we would experience the infinite joy of
becoming Buddhas. This is to “practice diligently.”
While doing so, we must be
compassionate. “Compassion” means to give happiness to others and to remove
their suffering. First we help them attain worldly happiness, then the extra-worldly
delights of the Dharma and, finally, the ultimate joy of Buddhahood. As the Vimalakirti Sutra says, “First draw them
in by focusing on their interests, then induct them into the wisdom of the
Buddhas.” True compassion means to give others joy in the Dharma and to end the
suffering they experience in continued reincarnation.
To “show compassion to sentient
beings” is to accumulate merit. If we have compassionate hearts and motivations,
our good fortune will grow. But Buddhists must develop not only compassion but
wisdom. The wise are not attached to external form or appearances. Though they
build merit, they have no such fixations. “Compassionately cultivating wisdom”
means having no attachments even while helping beings become Buddhas.
As the Diamond Sutra says, “I will deliver sentient beings of all types
into nirvana-without-residue. In this manner, I deliver countless, innumerable
beings. But in fact no beings are delivered.” Sentient beings of all types
refers to the twelve kinds of beings, ranging from celestial and human beings
to ants and other insects. Nirvana-without-residue is Buddhahood. The passage
means: I will deliver all beings into Buddhahood.
If one were to say, “What great
merit I have, with the ability to save so many beings and allow them to gain
Buddhahood,” it would be merit flawed by attachment, which underscores a lack
of wisdom. But Bodhisattvas have no such fixations. After delivering so many
beings, they feel they have delivered none, as they aren’t attached to the
notion that there are beings who have let themselves be delivered. That is prajna wisdom. “Why is that?” asks the Diamond Sutra. “If a Bodhisattva has notions
of self, others, living beings and their continuing existence, he is not a
Bodhisattva.”
By compassionately saving beings and
enabling them to leave suffering behind, Bodhisattvas experience the joy that
accompanies awakened great beings. In avoiding attachment, they demonstrate
wisdom. It is the same with other followers of the Buddha. By delivering beings
with care and compassion, they would be “compassionately cultivating wisdom.”
(to be continued)
The Wise Remain
Unswayed
A certain year, the Buddha and many bhikkhus were invited by a Brahmin to a summer retreat.
When they arrived their host fell under the influence of Mara, the evil one.
The Brahmin neither welcomed not supported the Buddha and his group.
The local community was plagued by
famine at the time. A horse merchant could no longer bear to see the Buddha and
his disciples practicing every day on empty stomachs, so he made offerings to
them of the rice and wheat he used for horse fodder. Though each person could
accept only a little food, the Sangha continued its daily practice diligently
without any resentment.
The dire circumstances prompted Ven.
Moggallana to seek the Buddha’s permission to use his special powers and bring
food for the monks back from places others could not go. But the Buddha refused
to give it. Despite the difficulties, none of the practitioners were
dispirited. They remained grateful for the small amount of grain that the horse
merchant gave them each day.
When the retreat was over, the
Buddha and his disciples bid the Brahmin farewell and returned to Jetavana
Vihara. The people of Sravasti warmly welcomed them home to continue their
practice made many offerings to them.
Back at the summer retreat, there had
been a group of people who were without means of livelihood. They followed the
monks back to Jetavana, and the Buddha compassionately allowed them to stay at
the vihara. These people were delighted by the abundance of food. Repeatedly,
however, they greedily consumed the food and fell sleep.
When they awoke, they would go down to the river and indulge in games, making a
racket. Wherever they went, they behaved indecorously and accomplished nothing.
One day, the monks gathered to
discuss this undisciplined group. One said, “Because of hunger, they had been
polite and respectful towards us during the retreat and behaved appropriately.
They were also willing to join in our practice. Now that they have enough to
eat, they are behaving improperly.”
The Buddha learned of the discussions. He instructed the assembly: “When things are going badly, deluded people grieve and are depressed, but once conditions improve they become arrogant. This is a special characteristic of the foolish. Those who are wise remain unswayed amid both adversity and good fortune.”
Accomplishing Merit
By Ru Zang
A few years
ago, I went to Taiwan to take part in a Sea-Land Dharma service. I only
participated in activities in the outer altar, but was deeply impressed by
service’s splendid and dignified atmosphere, full of joy of the Dharma. Especially
notable was a unique “altar of a myriad practices,” which attracted countless
participants. The various altars’ volunteers – responsible for sponsorship,
photography, audio-visuals, transportation, cuisine, flower decorations,
offerings, supervision of accommodations, toilet sanitation – filled every
corner. They toiled busily but happily. At the time, I was merely grateful for
their work. Now I can appreciate the Dharma joy that must have filled their
hearts.
Recently, the
Hong Kong Observatory and other countries forecast the imminent approach of a
super-typhoon. It seemed we would have an extra day’s holiday. Some fellow
practitioners worked virtually without sleep to write up materials decided
during a working conference of the Lo Hon Monastery Sea-Land Dharma service. As
Hong Kong took protective measures the next morning, a group of volunteers
hurried ahead of the storm to the monastery to continue preparations for the
event. Time was precious, as our endeavors were entering the homestretch. It
would be the first time that Lo Hon Monastery was hosting a Sea-Land service.
It was a fresh, auspicious occasion, but there were many problems to overcome.
It is with a mixture of anxiety and exhilaration that our workers await the
arrival of the big day.
Master Yin
Chi had often considered holding a Sea-Land service at Lo Hon Monastery. But
because of the many obstacles, she reluctantly abandoned the idea every time.
Late last year, however, Lo Hon Monastery was instructed to repair its
endangered slopes urgently. To raise funds, and benefit beings, she decided to confront
the obstacles and hold the monastery’s first Sea-Land service.
We soon
started planning how to overcome the difficulties. The biggest was the limited
physical environment. Within its confines, how would we set up the many altars
required for the service, the overnight accommodation needed by dozens of
monastics and volunteer workers, the supply of water and electricity, etc.?
After much
effort by Masters Yin Chin and Ng Chong, as well as the committed workers of
our construction & maintenance group, basic construction started at the
beginning of the year, followed by various kinds of supporting endeavors. Because
of the nature of the work, I was unable to participate directly. In early
September, however, a large amount of timber needed a coating of protective
paint. Because there were insufficient hands and the workmanship requirements were
relatively simple, I felt up to the task. So I linked up with some retired
volunteers and we completed the job after some hard days’ labor.
The
experience fired my enthusiasm for greater participation. I became involved in
efforts relating to bedframes, the transport of
materials and the assignment of bed spaces. In the process, every day, rain or
shine, I saw volunteers of various ages and abilities working on different
aspects of the preparations for the service. Some carried metal and sawed wood,
while others handled lighting and electricity. Still others washed bed sheets
and made pillows … Though we were sweaty and tired, everyone was grateful for
the good fortune of being able contribute something to this special occasion. The
efforts allowed one to feel both the hardship and the Dharma joy that accompany
a Sea-Land service.
As the
service approached, much remained to be done. That only strengthened our resolve
and enthusiasm. Even more touchingly, some core volunteers virtually abandoned
their livelihoods two weeks before the service and lived at the monastery. Day
and night, they toiled to finish their work so the service could open without
mishap.
Master Yin
Chi and our core volunteers overcame immense environmental constraints and
difficulties, miraculously expanding our facilities. That vindicated the
Buddhist saying, “Strength varies according to resolve.” With preparations
taking place amid the single-minded efforts of the entire monastery’s Dharma masters
and lay practitioners, we look forward to a smooth opening for the splendid
event.
Thanks to
our monastics’ decision to hold this service, we volunteers have an opportunity
to cultivate both merit and wisdom. And participants who sincerely recite the
scriptures, pay respects to the sacred beings and make penitence bring benefits
to both the living and the deceased. We hope members of the assembly will
accommodate themselves to our monastics’ arrangements and volunteers’
instructions, showing patience and consideration to one another. May they form
positive karmic bonds with fellow practitioners and together contribute to the
dignity of the occasion. May they share in the joy of the Dharma and grow their
good fortune without limit!
By Ven. Yin Chi
QUESTION: A certain woman doted on her son. Though he
was married and had a home of his own, she often made soup and brought it to
him. But the son did not want her mother to stress herself. Once he purposely
spilled the soup – and his mother stopped bringing it to him thereafter. Was he
being unfilial?
ANSWER: The Dharma teaches us to bring
joy to others. If drinking our mother’s soup makes her happy, why not do it?
Though the son acted out of good motives, not wanting to burden his mother, the
results were contrary to his wishes. The mother may be old, but her concern for
her children remains the same. Since her son has his own, separate home, the
only way for her to express her affection was to make and give him the soup. If
she didn’t feel put out, why not let her do so?
Psychological
upset harms a person more than physical toil. The son’s actions were not
sufficiently considerate and can easily hurt his elderly mother. Filial piety
is good, but compassion needs to be accompanied by wisdom as well as empathy.
For the good
of elderly people, it is sometimes best not to stop them doing things. So long
as the tasks aren’t dangerous or arduous, we should let them go ahead. That
allows them to feel they are useful and invigorates them. But if they do not
wish to do something, we shouldn’t oblige them to.
If we feel
our mother labors too hard to make soup, we could skillfully identify a variety
that requires less work and suggest that she make it on certain days. She would
then feel respected – and not become unduly stressed.