Dharma Talk on the Shurangama Dharma Assembly During the Lunar New Year

The Shurangama Sutra is like a demon-spotting mirror in Buddhism. All the celestial demons, externalists, and the li, mei, and wang liang ghosts reveal their true forms when they see the Shurangama Sutra. They have no way to hide and no place to flee to.

Within Buddhism, the most important classic is the Surangama Sutra: where there is the Surangama Sutra, the true Dharma is still in the world; if the Surangama Sutra is gone, the Dharma-ending age has appeared. Therefore, every one of us Buddhists must use our strength, our blood, and our sweat to support this Shurangama Sutra.

Spoken by the Venerable Master Hua:

As is the cause, so is the effect

By DM Heng Rung

English edited by Huali Yuan

Holding a Shurangama Dharma Assembly during the Lunar New Year is very special, and those who participate are truly blessed. We must rely on the collective power of the assembly to purify this world. Everyone should sincerely recite the Shurangama Sutra, bow the Shurangama Repentance, and fulfill our responsibilities as Buddhists.

Thirty or forty years ago, the Venerable Master said, "A fire will engulf Los Angeles." At the time, we did not understand what he meant. Why would Los Angeles be engulfed in flames? But now, we see it happening—the fire is raging uncontrollably. We should deeply reflect on ourselves. Because our greed, anger, and delusion are too strong, when greed arises, we forget who we are; when anger flares up, it’s as if we burn down towering buildings in an instant.

Disasters are occurring all over the world, and people’s hearts are restless. However, if we shift our perspective, we will see that being born in this era—the Dharma-ending age, a time of great hardship, having the opportunity to contribute, even in small ways, to the well-being of sentient beings is a tremendous blessing. It means we are born at the right time. Therefore, when bowing the Shurangama Repentance, do so with sincerity.

Today, I want to share a story from the sutra. Do not listen to it as just a story—this is a sutra spoken by the Buddha.When the Buddha was in the city of Shravasti, there were 500 blind people who lived in suffering because they could not see and had difficulty doing anything. One day, one of them heard that the Buddha was in this world and that he had the power to heal their blindness and cure all ailments. The 500 blind people gathered to discuss their plan: We must go to meet the Buddha.

However, since they were blind, they needed someone to guide them. They did not know where to find such a person, so they decided to wait by the roadside, hoping that someone with a kind heart would be willing to lead them to the Buddha. But after waiting a long time, no one came forward.These 500 people had no other choice, so they discussed among themselves, saying, “We haven’t paid any money—why would anyone willingly offer to take us to see the Buddha? In that case, let’s go out and beg for funds, save up the money we receive, and then use it to hire someone to guide us to the Buddha.”

After much effort, each of them collected one coin, making a total of 500 coins. They then waited by the roadside, looking for someone willing to take them to the Buddha in exchange for the payment of 500 coins. Finally, a man agreed to help. He instructed them, "Each of you, hold onto the person in front of you. I will lead the way." The 500 blind people linked hands and followed him.

At that time, the Buddha was in Magadha. After leading them for a while, the guide became impatient. “For just 500 coins”, he thought, “Why should I go through all this trouble?” He had an evil thought and decided to abandon them. Leading them into a dense forest, he left them there and ran away.The blind people, now completely lost, had no choice but to wander aimlessly, still holding onto each other. Eventually, they unknowingly stepped into someone’s farmland and trampled all the crops.

At the time, the owner of the field arrived for inspection. Seeing that all his crops were ruined, he became furious and ordered his servants to beat the blind people nearly to death. The 500 blind people cried and begged for mercy, explaining that they had not meant any harm. They shared their story of trying to find the Buddha. Hearing this, the landowner felt sympathy for them and instructed his servant to lead them to the Buddha.The servant took the blind people to Magadha, only to be told upon arrival that the Buddha had returned to Shravasti. So, they journeyed back to Shravasti—only to find that the Buddha had gone back to Magadha. This back-and-forth journey happened seven times.Despite the hardships, the 500 blind people remained determined. No matter how difficult the journey was, they gritted their teeth and pressed on, crossing mountains and valleys with unwavering determination, holding firmly to the belief: “No matter what, we must see the Buddha.”

The Buddha, knowing they were coming, waited until the seventh time they arrived in Magadha, when their causes and conditions had fully ripened. He then emitted a radiant light that shone upon them. At that moment, they felt a sense of peace, even though they had not yet seen the Buddha in person.When they finally arrived and saw the Buddha, they attained realization. Some reached the stage of Srota-apanna (Stream-enterer), while others attained Sakridagami (Once-returner). They then requested to be ordained, and all 500 of them became monks.

Venerable Ananda, witnessing this extraordinary event, asked the Buddha, "How come these 500 blind people receive such great rewards?" The Buddha replied, "This is not the first time I have helped them. I have saved them many, many times before." The Buddha further explained, "Every action we take follows the law of cause and effect. Why were they blind? Why did they all gather together in this life? It was all due to past causes and conditions."

Through this story, the Buddha teaches us that before we act, we must consider the consequences of our actions. The most important lesson in practicing Buddhism is to be mindful of our speech and conduct. We must not speak recklessly, for every word has consequences. Just as eating the wrong food can make us sick, speaking carelessly can bring about serious karmic retribution. We must take responsibility for our words and actions.