【Each sends wine stewards. Answering the Buddha's message.】 This is a courtesy; the Buddha sent his steward to greet Shakyamuni Buddha. It's also a demonstration of etiquette for others to follow. Without "etiquette," a person has no place in this world. However, people nowadays neglect etiquette. If one neglects etiquette, even if they practice Buddhism well, where will their fruit be? Their cause will not be in the human realm but mostly in the ghost realm. When we talk about these ghost kings, we can see that even if one practices Buddhism very well but lacks respect and etiquette, they may end up as ghost kings in the future, or become things like mountain gods, tree gods, flower gods, fire gods, etc., as mentioned in the "Flower Adornment Sutra." Buddhism is established on the basis of filial piety. How should fellow practitioners wake up? Filial piety and respect for life allow us to walk towards the path of Buddhahood and joy. If this intention is absent, practicing Buddhism might lead one to become a ghost king. If you are even more unfortunate, you might enter the heavenly realms; but note, only the desire heaven, not the form heaven. Here, it teaches respect and courtesy.
【At that time, the Tathagata revealed weeping and manifested hundreds of millions of great dark clouds.】 This part refers to auspicious signs. 'Bright Cloud' reveals principles, manifesting light. Sentient beings who see the light clearly understand all teachings without needing words; "light" represents wisdom. 'Hundreds of millions of great bright clouds' symbolize immeasurable wisdom, which is fully displayed instantly, not requiring much time. 'At that time' refers to when the Buddhas send their stewards to greet Shakyamuni Buddha; the Tathagata 'reveals weeping,' manifesting light as a teaching method. The light comes from the innate prajna brightness within true suchness. All Dharma spoken by the Buddha uses this as a basis. The Dharma spoken by the Buddha originates from the self-nature prajna, revealing everything at once, showing the foundation of speaking all Dharma.
The first phrase: 【Known as the Great Perfect Brightness Cloud.】 'Great Perfection' means nothing is lacking, fully revealing the nature of sentient beings. Why do sentient beings resonate with the Dharma? Because their minds are no different from the Buddha's. The difference lies in sentient beings being deluded while the Buddha is awakened. Both awakeness and delusion come from the mind's nature. Within all sentient beings, including insentient beings (plants), there is the same fundamental nature. As stated in the "Flower Adornment Sutra," "Sentient and insentient beings equally realize supreme wisdom." Completeness means achieving Buddhahood simultaneously. Why? Because they share the same Dharma body and individual nature. An awakened person sees mountains, rivers, and the earth as themselves, unconditionally caring and loving them, known as "Great Compassion."
The second phrase: 【Great Compassion Brightness Cloud.】 'Compassion' is what we rely on. The four great vows, "Infinite sentient beings I vow to liberate," are based on compassion. Only those who have realized the Dharma body, known as Bodhisattvas, possess the innate prajna wisdom. Others may have great compassion but cannot add the brightness cloud. Adding the brightness cloud requires being a Dharma body Bodhisattva, breaking through one level of ignorance and realizing the Dharma body, truly sharing the same heart, wish, virtue, and action as the Buddha.
The third phrase: 【Great Wisdom Brightness Cloud.】 This is what we base our practice on. Regardless of which Dharma door we cultivate, without wisdom, we cannot succeed. Wisdom must be relied upon. Where does wisdom come from? To the listeners, wisdom is not memorization. Listening and reading a lot doesn't necessarily mean having wisdom; that's worldly cleverness, referred to in Buddhist scriptures as "worldly intellectual cleverness." In the path to Buddhahood, this is one of the eight difficulties because it falls into the "obstacle of knowledge," hindering the realization of one's true nature, concentration, and wisdom. Wisdom must come from meditation, and meditation must come from holding precepts, known as the "three non-leaking studies." In Mahayana practice, although formal precepts are not emphasized, the precepts of the mind are crucial and must be genuinely practiced! Meditation involves calming the mind, where the six senses face external objects without clinging or disturbance, known as true meditation. If our six senses still get disturbed by external objects, our practice isn't complete.
True cultivation happens when the six senses interact with the external environment. Using the method of reciting "Amitabha Buddha" helps turn thoughts back to mindfulness of Amitabha, encompassing precepts, meditation, and wisdom simultaneously. Turning thoughts away from defilements and toward Amitabha is holding precepts. Seeing desirable objects and thinking "Amitabha Buddha" turns greed into mindfulness of Amitabha, which is also holding precepts. Seeing undesirable situations and saying "Amitabha Buddha" transforms aversion. Once transformed, focusing on mindfulness of Amitabha cultivates "meditation." Reciting "Amitabha Buddha" with single-mindedness encompasses "wisdom." Thus, Pure Land practice perfectly integrates precepts, meditation, and wisdom in one thought. Good intentions naturally arise, reflecting one's cultivation depth in appearance, voice, and behavior. Concealing or pretending is for deceiving ordinary people; wise ones see through immediately. Therefore, "Great Wisdom" is what we rely on for cultivation.
The fourth phrase: 【Great Prajna Brightness Cloud.】 Prajna and wisdom sometimes overlap in meaning but differ when used together. 'Prajna' as described in the Prajnaparamita Sutras includes "true reality prajna," "contemplative prajna," and "scriptural prajna." Earlier wisdom relates to the discipline of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, where wisdom includes precepts and meditation. Precepts alone don't guarantee meditation or wisdom, but meditation guarantees precepts, and wisdom guarantees both precepts and meditation. Today's "prajna" follows the teachings of the Prajnaparamita Sutras, where true reality prajna is the essence. True reality has no form, known as ultimate wisdom, understanding all phenomena clearly without separation or attachment.
When put into practice, it manifests two functions: self-benefit and benefitting others. Self-benefit is contemplative prajna, leading to a life of higher wisdom, akin to Bodhisattvas living a life of perfect wisdom. Ordinary people can live a life of initial wisdom, understanding that all forms are illusions. With this understanding, one can live freely and happily, adapting to circumstances without attachment or aversion. Equal happiness exists regardless of wealth or poverty, known as contemplative prajna benefiting oneself. Scriptural prajna benefits others through teaching and example, known as body teaching. Thus, true reality prajna is mind teaching, encompassing all aspects of educating sentient beings.
The fifth phrase: 【Great Samadhi Brightness Cloud.】 'Samadhi' is a Sanskrit term meaning "proper concentration" or "proper reception." Beings in the six realms experience various kinds of enjoyment, categorized into five types: bodily sensations of suffering and pleasure, mental states of sorrow and joy, and a neutral state known as equanimity. Equanimity is ideal but temporary. If sustained, it becomes samadhi, known as proper concentration or meditation. Buddhas always remain in equanimity, transcending dualities of pleasure-pain and sorrow-joy. True happiness in the Pure Land transcends these dualities.
'Great Samadhi' breaks through all obstacles. Modern scientists recognize many barriers in this world, discovering multiple dimensions beyond our three-dimensional space. According to Buddhism, these dimensions arise from false thoughts, discrimination, and attachment. Breaking through these requires entering samadhi, eliminating delusions, discrimination, and attachment. Different levels of samadhi break through varying layers of these dimensions. Those who attain deep samadhi can transcend time and space, seeing past, present, and future simultaneously. A story illustrates this: during World War II, a young man met a Taoist adept who had attained deep samadhi. The adept predicted a flood and moved to higher ground, saving himself and others. Later, he foresaw the attack on Pearl Harbor three months in advance, demonstrating the power of deep samadhi to transcend time.
The Tathagata, having completely eliminated delusions, discrimination, and attachment, possesses full capabilities, pervading the entire Dharma realm. Understanding this truth, we believe the Buddha's teachings are genuine. This ability exists within us too, currently obscured by lack of concentration due to daily distractions. We must awaken and eliminate these obstructions.
That concludes today's discussion.
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