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弘法大師空海像 Kōbō-Daishi |
"TA YUAN DA CHEN" MIND
Dharma Talk by Living Buddha Lian Sheng on 9/10/90
(Page 236-241 Achievement of Rainbow Light Body volume one)
Translated by Yuan Zheng Tang
*** [[ The sixth stage of mind development as expounded by the Japanese monk Koho is known as "Ta Yuan Da Chen Xin". It is very difficult to explain the meaning of "Ta Yuan", it just means that all the sentient beings have karmic affinity with you. So "Ta Yuan Da Chen Xin" simply implies that "When you cultivate Mahayana school of Buddhism, everyone will have karmic affinity with you." - so when the Sutras mention "no affinity" it also means that there is no such thing as "affinity", as you have karmic affinity with everybody !
When Japanese monk Koho talked about the "Ta Yuan Da Chen Xin", he wanted us to treat all other sentient beings as ourselves. Once we are in this stage of mind development, we are ready to be enlightened as a Buddha, as we have the resolution to succor all other sentient beings, and we have the Bodhicitta. This is the most difficult frame of mind for an ordinary person to have.]]
There is a famous Chinese saying which goes like this : " After taking care of our aged, we must look after others' aged. After taking care of our children, we must look after others' children."
But something is wrong with this saying. There is a priority problem. In the great compassion expressed by the Buddhas, there is no discrimination between yours or others.
It is very difficult for Chinese to do this, as the feudal concept of family has been ingrained . Chinese will always look after members of the family first, before they take care of outsiders. Family members will always be accorded with priority.
It was mentioned in the Bible that God had chosen the Hebrews as his citizens, while all other races are excluded.. There is a clear discrimination. Therefore to me, this god has not attained the sixth stage of mind development. His spiritual level is lower than this.
It is marvelous if your mind is residing in this stage, as you treat and love all equally. There is no distinction between you, me or him. Not many people can attain this.
Most people do things for themselves, for their children, for their relatives and not for outsiders. Even the god in Christianity is of no exception, he only looks after the Hebrews , his citizens. He did not care about others.
Buddha is different. He is a sentient being like you and me. Only a very broad-minded person will make such a vow . Without such a vow, a person can never practise Mahayana vehicle - that is to die for others and to propagate for others. At best, he can cultivate himself, succor himself , and enlighten himself. He would not be able to succor others.
As it is, the Chinese will only look after their own parents, own children, own brothers and sisters, and at most their distant relatives if necessary . This is the Chinese culture.
It is a pity that this is the Chinese way of life, and I suspect all other races are no better. Not even the almighty god and the Jade emperor, as they have not reached the sixth stage of mind development.
Did those arhats who lived in Sakyamuni's era cultivate only for themselves ? I don't think so . Once they attained arhathood, they would return to do the salvation work. Arhats are not necessarily for themselves, they might not want to be enlightened as a Buddha, but wanted to remain in this Samsara world to help those who needed them. Pindola-bharadvaja (name of the first of the sixteen arhats, who became the old man of the mountains, white hair and beard, bushy eyebrows) is one of them. He is of great compassion , a manifestation of Bodhicitta.
Like one of my ex-disciple by the name of Lian-da, he has since left our school - who was dismissed by us. If he is really remorseful about what he did, and writes me a letter to say : "I have made a mistake, let me turn over a new leaf." If I have Bodhicitta, I must be compassionate and accept his repentance. As long as a person really repents, regardless of the magnitude of his wrongdoing, he must be given a second chance.
We must not be biased against the bad guys. They are but ourselves. Therefore nobody should be barred from True Buddha School. Even those who have committed the biggest mistake of pancanantarya (the five rebellious acts or deadly sins: parricide, matricide, killing an arhat shedding the blood of a Buddha, destroying the harmony of the sangha" will be accepted by the True Buddha School. Once a person has made a Bodhicitta vow, he is like a Buddha / Bodhisattva. Even though he has insulted everybody, including his own root guru, and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we must still embrace him.
After making this vow, we can invoke all the arhats from the four sage realm, including Pindoal-bharadvaja to assist us. Those who come to our assistance will not be those from the lower realms of animal, ghost, non human and Asura.
When we have made the Bodhicitta, all the gods in the heaven realm will also praise us . As we have broken the barrier of self and others- to us, self and others are one and the same.
For those who can't understand this doctrine, and those who do not believe in Buddhism, we must sympathize with them, we must try to convert them. It is wrong to reject them and discriminate against them, if there is no distinction between self and others. This stage of mind is termed as ""Ta Yuan Da Chen" by the Japanese monk Koho.
It is difficult to reach the sixth stage of mind. Only great men have attained this level ! Most of us behave differently. We look after our own security first before taking care of others. It is almost impossible for the reverse to be true !
Although we have made a Bodhicitta vow, we must not set priority on helping others. "When we look after the aged, we should not discriminate against those who have no relation with us; when we take care of the young ones, likewise we should not have preference for those who are related to us." Once we have no discrimination, we are said to be in the first stage of Bodhicitta.
Om Mani Padme Hum
[[[Ten States in the Development of the Mind 十住心论
Link: http://lotuschef.blogspot.sg/2014/04/ten-states-in-development-of-mind.html
6th to 9th states: Mahâyâna stages: “vehicles” of the bodhisattvas, those who seek enlightenment both for self and for others, by overcoming self-other duality and recognizing the interdependency between self-enlightenment and other-enlightenment and between wisdom and compassion.
6th state:
6th state:
“The mind of the Mahâyâna adherent who is concerned with others” (taen daijô-shin):
The state of Yogâcâra with its Vijñapti-mâtratâ (Jpn: yuishiki) standpoint that everything is “mind-only,” reached by its analysis of thing-events as phenomena of consciousness originating from a deep un-conscious “storehouse” or “receptacle consciousness” (âlaya-vijñâna).
Its point is to detach oneself from the discriminating objectification of phenomena in order to realize the tranquility of “mind-only” from a non-discriminating perspective, which would allow the practice of “great compassion.”
And yet this still takes several aeons of practice to achieve and is not the final state.]]]
Shizun's actual version of Paragraphs *** [[....... ]]
［他缘］ 的意识就是无缘大悲，这句话很难讲，在我们讲来就是［众缘］；
［众缘大乘心］，就是所有众生都是有缘的一个大乘心。
在佛经里常讲无缘大悲或者他缘，他缘就是无缘的意思。
弘法大师讲他缘大乘心，也就是说，把所有众生看成自己。
到这境界的时候就是已经有成佛的决心，而有度众生的心，也产生了菩提心。
有这种心产生了，一般来讲起来是很难办到，对一般凡夫俗子来讲是很难办到的。
SummaryTranslation by Lama Lotuschef.
［他缘］- 他 (pinyin - ta) means HIM. However use in this context means Others,
OR "Other than Self".
无缘大悲或者他缘 - 无缘大悲 (pinyin- wu yuan da bei) is the same meaning as 他缘, which is No Affinity Great Compassion.
SZ said [他缘大乘心 ] should be actually ［众缘大乘心］, changing the ［他缘］to ［众缘］to be more comprehensive to most people.
Developing this type of Mindset is pretty difficult in most laypersons and those with these mindsets already have the Determination to Attain Buddhahood, at the same instant, have Mindset to succor all sentient beings, developed Bodhicitta too.
Dear all, I hope I have make Shizun's meaning clearer.
Diamond Sutra
Chapter 3.
http://www.diamond-sutra.com/diamond_sutra_text/page3.html
"All living beings, whether born from eggs, from the womb, from moisture, or spontaneously; whether they have form or do not have form; whether they are aware or unaware, whether they are not aware or not unaware, all living beings will eventually be led by me to the final Nirvana, the final ending of the cycle of birth and death. And when this unfathomable, infinite number of living beings have all been liberated, in truth not even a single being has actually been liberated."
"Why Subhuti?
"All living beings, whether born from eggs, from the womb, from moisture, or spontaneously; whether they have form or do not have form; whether they are aware or unaware, whether they are not aware or not unaware, all living beings will eventually be led by me to the final Nirvana, the final ending of the cycle of birth and death. And when this unfathomable, infinite number of living beings have all been liberated, in truth not even a single being has actually been liberated."
"Why Subhuti?
Because if a disciple still clings to the arbitrary illusions of form or phenomena such as an ego, a personality, a self, a separate person, or a universal self existing eternally, then that person is not an authentic disciple."
金刚经 第三品 大乘正宗分
佛告须菩提：“诸菩萨摩诃萨应如是降伏其心！所有一切众生之类：若卵生、若胎生、若湿生、若化生；若有色、若无色；若有想、若无想、若非有想非无想，我皆令入无余涅盘而灭度之。如是灭度无量无数无边众生，实无众生得灭度者。
何以故？须菩提！若菩萨有我相、人相、众生相、寿者相，即非菩萨。”
The Translator if understand this excerpt of Diamond Sutra, will also understand
[他 (pinyin - ta) means HIM. However use in this context means Others,
OR "Other than Self".]
See also : Diamond Sutra http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/prajparagen2.pdf
Another much repeated mistake of this translaor is that he wrote the name as Koho and not Kobo!
[Kūkai (空海), also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi 弘法大師.]
OR "Other than Self".]
See also : Diamond Sutra http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/prajparagen2.pdf
Another much repeated mistake of this translaor is that he wrote the name as Koho and not Kobo!
[Kūkai (空海), also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi 弘法大師.]
Lack of research into Topic is a great minus for most translators or dharma speakers.
In Buddha Dharma, Indepth knowledge of the topic you are expounding is important in order to Benefit all that you are sharing the Greatness of Buddha Dharma with, agree?
Hahaha!
Cheers all
Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom
Lama Lotuschef
Edited from Notes of Lotuschef
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