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Chapter 2340: Chapter 2338: Enlightenment Through Buddhist Stories (2)

The Buddha who refused to use Divine Skills for conversion!

Once, the Buddha visited the Country Magadha, residing in the mango garden on the outskirts of Nalanda City. One day, a lay disciple named ”Jian Gu” came to the mango garden to visit the Buddha. After paying respects to the Buddha, he suggested to the Buddha: ”World-Honored One! Nalanda is a prosperous and wealthy city with a large population. If the World-Honored One could have a monk demonstrate Divine Skills in front of the masses, the people of Nalanda City will surely respect and believe in the World-Honored One even more.”

In response, the Buddha said: ”Jian Gu! I never teach monks to demonstrate Divine Skills to any layperson. I only teach them to stay away from the clamor, and reflect calmly upon the right path. If they have achievements, it’s enough for them to know themselves, and if they have faults, they should self-admit them, repent, and amend.”

Yet, this lay disciple named Jian Gu repeatedly requested the Buddha to have the monks show Divine Skills to the masses to gain more people’s respect and faith, making it easier for the Buddha and his disciples to propagate the Buddhist Law in this populous city and benefit more people. The Buddha repeatedly refused and explained the reasons for not wanting to use Divine Skills to promote the Buddhist Law.

The Buddha said: ”Jian Gu! I can teach using three types of personal firsthand experience: first is Divine Feet, second is Divine Mind, third is Teaching and Warning Divine Power. What is Divine Feet? Divine Feet is the extraordinary ability to transform into many incarnations, become invisible, pass through walls, enter the earth, walk on water, fly in the sky, emit smoke and fire, and directly reach Brahma Heaven, among other abilities. However, if someone who believes in the truth and takes refuge in the Three Treasures tells another unbelieving friend: ’It’s so rare and amazing! I’ve seen a monk with Infinite Divine Feet, he can directly reach Brahma Heaven, truly great Divine Power and virtue!’ That unbelieving friend might reply: ’Indeed! There is indeed such a Ming Mantra that can give one supernatural powers. That monk must have relied on such a Ming Mantra to have Infinite Divine Skills.’

In this way, it not only fails to achieve the purpose of proclaiming the right path, but perhaps becomes a kind of defamation! Therefore, from my observation, I deeply understand the defects of demonstrating transformations through Divine Skills, so I neither like nor value it, and reject the use of such purposes for demonstrating Divine Skills. What is Divine Mind? It’s the extraordinary ability to know what others are thinking without them telling you. Similarly, if someone who believes in the truth and takes refuge in the Three Treasures tells another unbelieving friend: ’It’s so rare and amazing! I’ve seen monks who can demonstrate Divine Mind, knowing what others are thinking, truly great Divine Power and virtue!’ That unbelieving friend might reply: ’Indeed! There is such a mantra that can give one’s Divine Mind. That monk must have relied on such a mantra to know what others are thinking.’ Is this not failing to achieve the purpose and perhaps becoming a kind of defamation!

Therefore, from my observation, I deeply understand the defects of demonstrating transformations through Divine Skills, so I neither like nor value it, and reject the use of such purposes for demonstrating Divine Skills. For this reason, I don’t teach monks to show transformations through Divine Skills, but only teach them to reflect calmly upon the Buddhist Law; reveal their own faults but do not show their achievements, this is the monks’ Divine Feet and Divine Mind. What is Teaching and Warning Divine Power? For example, advising monks: ’You should reflect this way, not that way; your thoughts should be this way, not that way; you should let go of these and find peace over there.’ In this way, imparting the teachings, the content is pure and the meaning is clear, allowing for Perfect cultivation. Such teaching and exposition, when the elders and laypeople hear it, they truly have a correct understanding of Buddhism, which can inspire their faith in the right path, and thereby have the intention to renounce household life and study, achieving Three Knowledges liberation, this is the monks’ Teaching and Warning Divine Power.”

The Five Roots are gatherings of goodness!

While the Buddha was in the Savatthi Only Tree Monastery for teachings, one day, the Buddha told the monks: ”Now, I will explain to the masses what is meant by gatherings of goodness, and you should reflect upon it well.” The monks replied: ”Yes, World-Honored One!” receiving instruction from the Buddha.

The World-Honored One expounded: ”What are gatherings of goodness? They are the Five Roots, namely the root of faith, root of diligence, root of mindfulness, root of concentration, and root of wisdom. Deeply believe in the truth of Buddhism, practice diligently; due to diligence, mindfulness remains unfaltering, thereby attaining an unscattered concentration of mind; due to concentration, insight arises, thus truly understanding the truths. By practicing these Five Roots, one can subdue afflictions and enter the Saint Path. Monks, if a monk cultivates these Five Roots, he can achieve the initial fruit, Sotapanna; the Saint of this initial fruit attains the non-retrogression law, he will certainly attain Nirvana in the future, free in birth and death; if he continues to diligently use these Five Roots, he can attain the second fruit, Sotapanna; the Saint of this second fruit will be born again in the human or heavenly world, and will completely cut off all suffering of birth and death, attaining Nirvana; if he continues to diligently use these Five Roots, he can attain the third fruit, Ah Nahan; the Saint of this third fruit will be born in the Pure Abode Heaven of the Color Realm upon death, and attain Nirvana there, not returning to the Desire Realm to be reborn; if he continues to diligently use these Five Roots, he can eliminate all afflictions, achieving the fourth fruit, Arhat. This Saint of the fourth fruit, as evidence to his own statement: ’Birth and death have ended, Brahma behavior is established, what had to be done has been done, there is no longer any birth, truly known.’”

”The so-called gatherings of goodness refer to the Five Roots, why are the Five Roots called gatherings of goodness? Root signifies the meaning of generation, because these Five Roots can generate all virtuous laws, accumulating Infinite goodness laws, they are the most sublime and excellent virtues among all laws. If one cannot cultivate the Five Roots, he cannot achieve the fruit positions of Sotapanna, Sotapanna, Ah Nahan, Arhat, Pratyeka-Buddha and other Two Vehicle fruit positions, nor can he achieve the Buddha Fruit of Supreme Equanimity. If someone can practice the Five Roots, he will gradually achieve the path of liberation of the Four Fruits and Three Vehicles. Monks! You should diligently practice faith root, diligence root, mindfulness root, concentration root, and wisdom root.”

The monks, after hearing the Buddha’s teachings, joyfully practice them.

Another day, the Buddha told the monks: ”Now, I will explain to the masses what is meant by gatherings of non-goodness, and you should reflect upon it well.” The monks replied: ”Yes, World-Honored One!” and followed the World-Honored One’s instructions in practice.

The World-Honored One expounded: ”What are gatherings of non-goodness? They are the Five Hindrances. What are the Five Hindrances? Greed and attachment hindrance, anger hindrance, sleep hindrance, restlessness and regret hindrance, and doubt hindrance. Including greedily clinging to worldly pleasures of five desires, encountering unsatisfactory situations, generating anger in the mind, or dullness and heaviness in the body, indulging in sleep, or restlessness and reflection, anxiety and regret about past deeds; not only unable to discern truth from falsehood, but also harboring doubts about truth, unable to comprehend, these five afflictions all obstruct the fundamental mind. Why are the Five Hindrances called gatherings of non-goodness? Monks should know these five afflictions cover the innate pure mind, obstructing meditation, more non-good laws arise from these Five Hindrances, in the future, they will fall into the Three Evil Paths of Beast, hungry ghosts, and Hell Path, enduring Infinite suffering, unable to escape. Monks! You should diligently seek the means to extinguish greed and attachment hindrance, anger hindrance, sleep hindrance, restlessness and regret hindrance, and doubt hindrance.”

The monks listened to the Buddha’s teachings and each joyfully practiced them.

King Ajatashatru kills his father and usurps the throne

When the Buddha was in the world, he led his disciples in cultivation. Among the disciples, there was one named Deva Datta, who was the Buddha’s cousin by birth. After learning Buddhism, not only did Deva Datta fail to diminish his desire, but it also grew stronger. He developed a disrespectful attitude towards the Buddha and even betrayed the Buddha’s teachings, inciting the disciples within the monk group––leading five hundred monks to rebel against the Buddhist Sect; this was due to the influence of his desires. At the same time, he incited King Ajatashatru, urging him to renounce familial ties, and said to him, ”You become the new king, and I will become the new Buddha.” Under his instigation, King Ajatashatru imprisoned his own father, cutting off food and water.

During his rule, King Pinpo Suoluo greatly respected the Buddha and profoundly realized that the teachings of the Buddha were good––the Buddha repeatedly emphasized that the emotions and love of beings are forms of impermanence, and desires can destroy the familial bonds between people. Although the Buddha stated this, King Pinpo Suoluo had not personally experienced any worldly suffering, so he held doubts about it, believing that familial love was the most trustworthy thing in the world.

It was not until his son King Ajatashatru betrayed him that he deeply understood that the Buddha was truly a being of great wisdom who embraced the heavens and earth! He also thoroughly comprehended human nature and familial affection––it turns out human nature is obscured by desires, and familial affection cannot withstand the love of desires!

Therefore, he felt very lamentable and troubled, suffering from hunger and cold in prison. Reflecting on his time on the throne, he didn’t feel that there was any suffering in the world at all; only when, as the respected king of a nation, he underwent such hunger and cold hardship did he deeply understand, could this be karma? Although the country remained, it was through the betrayal of a son that he was fully tormented...

Every human has a love for oneself, and this self-love usually extends to relatives, but is this familial love very strong? Not necessarily! Familial bonds are easily overturned by personal desires, as exemplified by King Ajatashatru.

Is this an obstruction? What obstructs him? Desire! This is being obstructed by desires. The father was already so old, and if King Ajatashatru could peacefully await, he would inherit the throne after his father’s passing; yet he was unable to endure the long wait, eager to become king, to gain fame and status, so he imprisoned his father. King Ajatashatru disregarded everything, committing a grave sin and eventually fell into hell in this life.

Deva Datta was the same; his original light was obscured, obstructed, and he committed a severe sin––attempting to kill the Buddha, harming the Buddha, and rebelling against the Buddha. Originally, he could have achieved the right fruit of wisdom, but this desire led him to create his own sinful obstacles.

A heart filled with gratitude does not attach to appearances

Although King Pinpo Suoluo believed in the Buddhist Law, he hadn’t personally experienced it and didn’t know the suffering of human nature. It was only after experiencing it himself that he truly appreciated the profound wisdom of the Buddha.

Deva Datta and King Ajatashatru could represent people whose pure Buddha-nature is obscured by desires, producing shadows that shake faith; due to wavering faith, they created significant sinful karma, unable to achieve Buddha Fruit, instead creating causes for falling into the Hell Path.

Therefore, are the obstructions of sinful karma self-created or made by others? Is the inability to achieve Taoism self-obstruction or obstruction by others? In summary, all Taoism achievements are self-created obstacles, and all sinful karma is also self-created. Therefore, we must adopt the Buddha’s heart as our own heart. If we can always take the Buddha’s heart as our own heart, then we will see all beings in the world as Buddhas; use the heart of the Buddha to embrace all beings, then we will not resent people or blame things; without a heart of resentment and blame, we can often be joyful and at ease, continually advancing, and not be obstructed by external conditions.