THE
PASSAGES HE FORMERLY COULD HOT FIGURE OUT HE NOW SPONTANEOUSLY UNDERSTOOD.
He didn't need to have anyone explain it to him, he understood by himself.
He opened great wisdom. AT THE PLACE WHERE HIS CROWN HAD BEEN RUBBED A
FLESH COWL AROSE. HE LEFT THE HOME LIFE WHEN HE WAS FIFTEEN. WHEN THE
VENERABLE WEN TRANSMITTED TO HIM THE SECRET OF THE MIND CONTEMPLATION--The
three Wisdom’s of the One Mind-the contemplation of empty, false, and
middle, in order to obtain the wisdom of All-wisdom, the Wisdom of the
Means to the Way, and the Wisdom of All Modes.-- HE IMMEDIATELY ACHIEVED
GREAT ENLIGHTENMENT. It was as if the sky had been overcast and suddenly
cleared. He immediately fathomed and penetrated all the myriad things. He
understood everything. HE OBTAINED THE DHARMA FLOWER SAMADHI. He entered
the Dharma Flower Samadhi and was clear about all the principles explained
in the Sutra. AFTERWARDS HE NEVER HAD DOUBTS ABOUT ANY SUTRA. HE
HEARD. HE SET UP A HUT ON TA SU MOUNTAIN. AT THAT TIME THE CH'I REIGN WAS
ABOUT TO CHANGE OVER: it was about to be overthrown. THE VENERABLE SSE IN
ORDER TO AVOID DIFFICULTY WENT TO NAN YAU to Heng Mountain, at Hunan.
EFFICACIOUS OMENS ABOUNDED. For instance the flowers blossomed over and
over. Auspicious birds gathered in flocks and sang. Deer came to listen to
the Sutra lectures. All kinds of unusual things happened. Bright colored
clouds appeared in the sky; light was emitted, a rare fragrance filled the
area. For instance, one layman who lives here at the City notices that
although there are no flowers nearby, every morning when he goes out, the
fragrance of flowers fills his nostrils. That's an efficacious omen.
What more do you want? If you deny that’s an auspicious portent
and you go looking for auspicious portents, you'll never find any. Just
living at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas you feel your body and mind are
clear and pure. (Quite naturally you bring forth a resolve for the Way.
That's an auspicious portent.
So,
too, at the place where the Venerable Sse was, the auspicious events kept
occurring. THERE WERE HEAVENLY YOUTHS WHO CAME TO SERVE and PROTECT HIM.
WHEN HIS TIME HAD COME, that is when he was about to die, when he was
about to enter extinction, HE GATHERED ALL HIS DISCIPLES TOGETHER AND
SPOKE DHARMA TO ADMONISH THEM. He said, "You should cultivate. If you
don't cultivate it will soon be time to die. You should cultivate. If you
don't cultivate you will soon fall into the hells. You should cultivate.
If you don't cultivate, you will soon turn into animals. Understand?"
He used bitter effort to let them know truly how things were. "You
should cultivate. If you don't cultivate,
One
life as a human being
Is
hard to get again in a million aeons.
Don't
let the time go by in vain. 'This day has already passed and life is that
much shorter. Like fish in evaporating water, what bliss is there in this?
Great Assembly, you should all be diligent and vigorous.' Don't have false
thinking from morning to night and too much desire. That's impermissible.
'It should be as if you're trying to save your own head.' As if someone
was about to decapitate you and you had to think of a way to save
yourself. Or as if your head had caught on fire and you had to think of a
way to put the fire out." So he exhorted them in this way AND THEN
SAID, "IF THERE ARE EIGHTEEN PEOPLE WHO WILL SPARE NEITHER BODY NOR
LIFE; who don't fear suffering or difficulty who don't fear dying AND WILL
CULTIVATE THE DHARMA FLOWER REPENTANCE, if they will bow to the' Dharma
Flower Sutra ..." He suggested that eighteen people could cultivate
in this way probably so they could trade off and cultivate nine at a time
day and night. Or maybe they'd bow six at a time for eight hours, each and
trade off to cover the twenty four hour periods. It's just my guess that
this is what he had in mind. "I WILL SUPPORT THEM. Whatever you need
to eat and drink and wear, I will provide." When he said this, his
meaning was, if eighteen people would cultivate the Dharma Flower
Repentance he would not die. He would continue to live and not enter
nirvana at that time. It was not that he couldn't bear to die; it was that
he wanted to continue the Wisdom Life of the Buddha. "IF THERE
AREN'T, I WILL GO FAR AWAY. If there aren't eighteen people who want to do
this cultivation of the Dharma Flower Repentance, I am going to
leave." His meaning was, he would go to rebirth.
His
disciples were extremely intelligent. Die if you must, we’ll pay no
heed," was their attitude. They were all Mahasattvas who pay no
attention to others. Amitabha, everyone's on his own. Not one of them
said, "Shih Fu, don't die, we will select eighteen people to
cultivate the Dharma Flower Repentance." NOBODY REPLIED. They all
silently ascended. Their meaning being, "Fine. Go ahead and die
otherwise we always are under your watchful eye, and if we're wrong you
come and scold us. Better if you die a little more quickly." Such
filial disciples! I imagine the Great Master Hui Sse was very pained by
this. "Ah, I've taught and transformed so many people and not one
cares about his teacher. When it comes down to the wire, no one has any
regard for the teacher." So Great Master Hui Sse, pained and in
tears, SAT IN FULL LOTUS AND SAID. "THE BUDDHA COMES TO RECEIVE
ME." AND HE LEFT. "You see, he played the last trick. And when
he was really gone the disciples cried, "Shih Fu, why do you pay us
no heed and leave?" They displayed a false sense of filiality. Why
didn't they think of a way to prevent him from going when he asked? All
that he wanted was eighteen people to cultivate the Dharma Flower
Repentance and he wouldn't have left. The disciples were just acting like
they cared for their teacher, crying and wailing and carrying on. Others
jumped and danced and said, "Great! Now no one will be watching our
every move." "Right. Now no one will scold me. I've waited for
so many years Amitabha " Do you believe they acted that way? No. I'm
the only one that thinks so.
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