Blog » Sweet Dews Of Dharma Talks » 2007 » Dharma Realm IIIuminating
Dharma Realm IIIuminating2013-01-10
Dharma Talk by Dharma Master Heng Mao
English Translation By Emily Chen
Today we are here at the Gold Sage Monastery reciting the “Avatamsaka Sutra”. Does anybody know the reason why, at this time, all the way-places of DRBA recite the “Avatamsaka Sutra”?
Because the life of the Venerable Master is reflected in the “Avatamsaka Sutra”, he let us know the teachings of the dharma sutra are the living universal truth and can be learned and practiced daily.
Therefore when it is near the anniversary day of Venerable Master entering nirvana, we recite one set of “Avatamsaka Sutra”. While reciting the sutra tentatively, the image of Venerable Mater appears in our mind such as he has never left us. The state of Venerable Master is the Avatamsaka State. In his life, he thinks of others before himself. Even when he was terminally ill, he said, “I seem to be split into two, one saving all living beings, and the other not even saving myself from the sick bed.”
The Venerable Master once said, “As long as I dwell in San Francisco, I will not allow an earthquake to happen here.” Then, an earthquake happened in San Francisco on October 1989. Does anybody know where the Venerable Master was at that time? Taiwan. Being requested by the disciples of Taiwan, the Venerable Master went to host a Great Compassion Guan-Yin dharma assembly for protecting the nation and quelling the disasters. At that time, I was very lucky to meet the Venerable Master while being a volunteer helping in the assembly. I remember the moment that the Venerable Master came out the airport and said to his disciples: “I am going to starve myself to death in Taiwan,” because of the omnipresent bad shared karma presiding there. He would give his own blessings to all Taiwan people, take away their sufferings and endure their pain for them. At that time I witnessed the Venerable Master busying himself nonstop in the dharma assembly, not resting for one moment to eat one grain of rice. The assembly had only begun for a short time when the earthquake stroke in San Francisco. Being requested by the worried disciples, right away the Venerable Master rushed back to San Francisco to inhibit the disasters; the next day he came back to Taiwan. Why did the Master return so hastily? Because the weather forecast predicted a tremendously hazardous typhoon approaching Taiwan, so the nervous disciples pleaded the Master to return. The Master, in order to fulfill the disciples’ wishes, shed his own sweat and blood, regardless of his own health, never stopped to rest.
“Tathagata can sense everything in the mind of all living beings.” As the disciples of the Venerable Master, whatever we do, any afflictions we have, or any disasters we encounter are known by the Venerable Master. From my experience, after received the full precepts I was transferred to Taiwan. Not for long being a bhikshuni, I still had some left-over habits. So when the conditions came to test, afflictions took over me. One day, I read “Bamboo Window Rambles” from the Dharma Master Lian-Zhi, it states that “It is very difficult and rare to bring forth the bodhi resolve to live a left-home life. Sometimes after being left-home for a while, they fail to pass the reality test in life. When this happens, you must encourage yourself to bring forth the bodhi mind to leave-home once again.” When I read this, I thought, Wow this statement relates to me! If only I could leave-home once again…this was only a thought; that night I had a dream. I dreamt a left-home ceremony took place in the Buddha Hall of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Three monks were wearing red formal sashes; one was the Venerable Master who was shaving a persons head. I looked closer, and that person was me! I felt so blessed to have been near the good knowing advisor and cultivating under his teachings.
The state of the Venerable Master is the Avatamsaka state; it is inconceivable and ineffable. We can talk about it but never finish, write about it but never be complete. The only thing we can do is to calm our minds and recite the “Avatamsaka Sutra” tentatively so that we can know a little more about the Venerable Master. What is the “Avatamsaka Sutra” talking about? “Awakening the wisdom is the Shuragama Sutra, attaining the buddhahood is the Dharma Flower Sutra.” The “Avatamsaka Sutra” not only does it awaking the wisdom, but can also attaining Buddhahood. Therefore, it is a complete and perfect Sutra.
The emperor of China, Tai-Zong of the Tang Dynasty, asked his officials which sutra was the best and greatest. His official, Hsun-Xhi-Mao, regained his youth and had black hair although he was 125 years old. In his life, he recited and copied the “Avatamsaka Sutra” 700 times, so he suggested it to the emperor. The emperor heard and asked, “The Tang Tripitaka Master translated from India the Great Prajna Sutra which has 600 volumes; it is the biggest sutra, so why do you suggest the Avatamsaka Sutra?”
Hsun-Xhi-Mao said, “Emperor, you don’t know that the Avatamsaka Sutra holds the teachings of all the dharma doors. The Great Prajna Sutra is part of the Avatamsaka dharma school. Everything in the dharma realm originates from the Avatamsaka, and returns to the Avatamsaka.” After hearing this, the emperor recited the “Avatamsaka Sutra”.
The Avatamsaka Sutra’s main point is the realm of absolute principle. Then what is the dharma realm? As said in our evening recitation, “If people wish to fully understand all Buddhas of the three periods of time, they should contemplate the nature of the Dharma-Realm: everything is made form mind alone.” “Scratch talking or detailed descriptions are all about primary truth.” The primary truth is the dharma realm. All the dharma doors are contained within the dharma realm and won’t be able to separate from it. Everything originates from the dharma realm, and eventually returns to the dharma realm. It is infinite and boundless. It encompasses the dharma realm of principles, the dharma realm of specifics, the dharma realm of thousands, the dharma realm of ten thousands, the dharma realm of Buddha, the dharma realm of Bodhisattvas, the dharma realm of Pratyekabuddha, the dharma realm of Arhat, the dharma realm of heaven god, the dharma realm of human beings, the dharma realm of Asuras, the three evil paths- the dharma realm of animals, the dharma realm of hungry ghosts, and the dharma realm of hells. Where are these countless and boundless dharma realms originated from? It’s from our minds alone. If you understand the dharma realm of mind, then you understand all of dharma realms. If you don’t grasp the dharma realm of mind, then you will never comprehend them.
The ten dharma realms are not beyond a single thought, one wholesome thought will bring us to dharma realm of Buddha; one evil thought will bring us to dharma realm of hells. So we must always keep our minds at proper thoughts to attain the four sagely dharma realms, not fall into the six paths.
Often physiologists take good care of other people’s minds, but they forget to take good care of their own minds. The dharma realm of mind teaches us how to gather in and manage our minds. We shouldn’t get agitated, raise our afflictions or lose our temper upon the other people’s words, scolding, or merely a comment. Why are we so upside-down? We need to put our effort to study this.
There’s a story from the Venerable Master’s biography, when he was a shramanera, on Chinese New Year, he wrote a phrase which said, “Have wisdom like the sea.” The phrase was written very great and splendid, like flying dragon and dancing phoenix. His dharma brother admired it so much that he kept reciting ‘“Having wisdom like the sea, having wisdom like the sea, ....” Then the Venerable Master said, “Your karmic force is like the sea.” The dharma brother was offended and angrily said, “How dare you say my karmic force is like the sea? You tease me too much!” The Venerable Master responded “You don’t understand, there are two kinds of karmic forces: one is wholesome karma, the other is evil karma. I said that your wholesome karma is like the sea. If you didn’t have that wholesome karma like the sea, then how would you be able to leave-home as a shramanera?” The moment the dharma brother heard this, he happily said, “Why didn’t you mention this earlier? You are really with unobstructed eloquence.” The Venerable Master said, “I’m not eloquent, I just missed one word and immediately your temper flared.” The dharma brother laughed loudly and left. From this story, we learn that just one word can determine our happiness, sadness or anger. We must focus on this place, we must put fully efforts and contemplate well on our minds; not stay upside-down.
