The Kennedys Request A Lecture

Introduction and Translation by
Disciples Bhiksu Heng Ching and Bhiksuni Heng Ch’ih

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kennedy and Mr. and Mrs. Nick Mechling recently invited Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua and Dharma Masters Heng Ch’ien, Heng Ching, Heng Shou, Heng Yin, and Heng Ch’ih to Los Angeles to attend a vegetarian feast held in their honor, and requested that the Master speak Dharma on this occasion. When acceptance was received, Mrs. Kennedy and her daughter Mrs. Mechling began careful and extensive preparation for the occasion. Approximately seventy–five guests were formally invited. As the day of the occasion drew near, however, the Kennedy’s received inquiries, as more people who had heard that these Buddhists were coming called to express their interest. All were welcomed.

The morning of February 21, 1970 was clear and cool, and at 11 AM some ninety people gathered in the bright rooms and sunny gardens of the Kennedy home. Businessmen, lawyers, nuns, teachers, students, relatives, associates, friends, yellow, white and black, Asians, Europeans, and Americans, young and old, stood respectfully in the quiet atmosphere while an offering ceremony was chanted. Afterward everyone served himself from an abundant variety of vegetarian foods.

In the main room adjoining the garden Mrs. Kennedy and her daughters had arranged a lecture platform, skillfully draped with red and gold cloth and adorned with flowers and incense. The Master ascended this high seat to speak Dharma. Two of his disciples, Mrs. Susan Mechling and Miss Marcia Brown, both residents of the Los Angeles area, offered incense, bowed to the Master, and formally requested Dharma. The Master consented and first requested that the two visiting Catholic nuns be seated with the Bhiksus and Bhiksunis. He then asked his five disciples to speak. When the Bhiksus and Bhiksunis finished, the Master said:

"My five disciples have just spoken. Four said that they were happy and one didn’t say she was happy, and didn’t say she was worried. She has been working so hard that she forgot to be happy or unhappy. She came early to help prepare this vegetarian meal for all of you, thinking, "Today they will eat vegetarian food; tomorrow perhaps they will make some for themselves, and another day invite others to eat vegetarian food." She prepared the food knowing that you would come today and that I would talk with you; but in the end, as to being happy or unhappy, we must let go of both.

Now I will speak about Buddhadharma. You ask, "I have often heard the word Buddhadharma, but just what is it?" Let me ask you, "What is not Buddhadharma?" Find one thing that is not Buddhadharma and then you will know what is Buddhadharma. This is very simple. You say, "I can’t find anything that is not Buddhadharma." Then everything is Buddhadharma---what you know and what you don’t know --- everything is Buddhadharma.

There are three Dharmas, Buddhadharma, Sentient Being Dharma, and Mind Dharma, which are also just one Dharma. One Dharma is just three Dharmas. Why? When you understand the Buddhadharma, then you are clear about sentient beings. When you know the Sentient Being Dharma, you understand the mind. Comprehending the Mind Dharma is just understanding the Buddhadharma.

"What?" you say, "my mind has a Dharma?"

"What!" I reply, "your mind doesn’t have a Dharma?" If your mind didn’t have a Dharma, how could you live? Your life is just a manifestation of the mind. Therefore all sentient beings, whether they believe or don’t believe, are within the Buddhadharma. You, yourself, don’t recognize the fact that you can’t run outside, so you say, "Awh, I don’t believe I’m inside the Buddhadharma." Well then, do you believe you are outside the Buddhadharma? No problem. Inside and outside, you yourself know; in the Buddhadharma originally this distinction doesn’t exist.

You who say you are inside are inside. You who say you are outside are still inside. Why? The Buddhadharma isn’t anywhere, and there’s no place where it’s not, so how could you run outside? Transform to a fine particle of dust, and you’re still within the Buddhadharma. Or appear as great as Mt. Sumeru, and you also can’t get out. So whether you believe the Buddhadharma or not, there is no problem.

It is important to know what is fine, like dust, and what is coarse, like Mt. Sumeru. In the Buddhadharma, the fine dust represents your ignorance, and the massiveness of Sumeru represents your view of a self. When you see yourself as so big, then you can’t see others; this inability to think of others can be compared to Mt. Sumeru in its greatness. The subtle dust of ignorance, however, and the Sumeru view of self, are both unable to get outside the Buddhadharma.

Originally Buddhadharma isn’t called Buddhadharma, it’s called Sentient Being Dharma. Sentient Being Dharma originally isn’t called Sentient Being Dharma, it’s called Mind Dharma. And Mind Dharma originally isn’t called Mind Dharma. What is it called? It’s called "...not dwelling anywhere". Earlier these two Sisters asked me where I lived. I said, "There isn’t any place to dwell." I answered in this way because I knew "...not dwelling anywhere".

In the Ch’an school it is said:

'Last year I was poor, but I had the space for the point of an awl.
This year I am so poor I haven’t an awl at all.'

Not having the awl is just "...not dwelling anywhere, produce the mind...". If you understand, that is "not dwelling anywhere". If you don’t understand, then you think "not dwelling anywhere" means to be poor. However, if you can get to the point of having nothing, then you have enough. There is nothing which is not yours. If you are not at this, then you don’t have everything. Buddhadharma, sentient being dharma, and mind dharma are all within your self–nature. Here you understand your self–nature, and are able to return to your own original dwelling.

But now everyone runs away from his original home. Having gone outside to seek, you don’t know how to get back inside. In The Lotus Sutra  it says that the Buddha is like the father of living beings. Living beings are like the Buddha’s son. When this son was very young he ran outside, became poor, and suffered, and now doesn’t know how to return. The poor son who ran outside originally had limitless wealth, but now he doesn’t know how to return to his dwelling to use the wealth. He’s outside running in great circles: running from this village to that village; running from this city to that city; running from this country to that country; running everywhere begging for food. This son of a great wealthy elder doesn’t know how to make use of his own wealth.

Living beings, like the son, run out, and everywhere they go they beg for food. They beg coming and going and think themselves clever because wherever they go they’re able to get plenty to eat. They don’t realize that if they returned there would be no need to be a beggar. Living beings are upside down like this. Not only can they not get back home, they don’t even recognize their own father. They see their great wealthy elder and say, "I don’t have such a father. I don’t want such a father." Others tell them that this is their father, but they don’t believe. So it is when we are told that the Buddha is our true compassionate father, and yet we don’t believe. We don’t believe our father can be the Buddha, and don’t recognize the Buddha as our father.

All sentient beings are poor sons. You say, "Not me! I’ve got lots of money." You may have money, but do you have any dharma? How much dharma do you have?

You ask, "What is dharma?" If you don’t understand dharma, how can you consider yourself rich? Your money is just worldly false with wealth. If you understand dharma, that is true and proper wealth.

You reply, "Master, you speak Dharma, you understand Dharma, you certainly have much great wealth." I don’t want great wealth, nor do I want great poverty; I don’t want either poverty or wealth. I see wealth and riches as floating clouds. One should have no attachments.

"I have money," you ask, "so how do you figure that I am a poor son?" Not only do I reckon you to be a poor son, you are, in fact, a poor son. One who has money is the same as the poor son. I cannot recognize people with money as rich sons.

You ask, "Master, before you said that the poor son became a beggar, running from village to village, city to city, country to country in search of food. Now begging isn’t really so bad, it’s not of major concern, is it?"

I said that he went from village to village, city to city, and country to country. To go from village to village means to go from one hell to another hell; to go from city to city is just to go from being one kind of animal to another; to go from country to country is to go from one hungry ghost realm to another. To travel through village, city, and country is just to revolve in these three bad paths within the six realms of existence.

The wheel turns, coming and going in the six paths. Earlier today someone asked me, "Do you believe that birth and death reoccur? Once you’re dead, do you believe you will be born again?"

I asked this person, "Do you believe that, once born, you will die?" It is the same principle.

The wheel of birth and death revolves in the six paths of the gods, men, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hells. That of the gods refers to those beings born in the realm of the heavens; that of men refers to those beings born as people; the asura path refers to those born as asuras. What is an asura? Asura, a Sanskrit word, means "incessant quarrelling".

Once before when I approached this topic someone said, "Oh, no, don’t talk about asuras again. You’ve told about asuras so many times already, I don’t want to hear about them again, and I certainly don’t want to be one!"

"Hey, you’ve heard about them, but I never have," someone else complained. "Why did you tell the Master not to speak?"

"Because I don’t want him to talk about asuras again," retorted the first.

"Well, I want to hear about them," roared the second.

"I don’t!" "I do!" "I don’t!" they argued back and forth until finally amidst the deafening noise one hit the other and that one dodged and struck back.

"Wait a minute," I said, "I don’t have to speak about asuras. You’ve already demonstrated the meaning."

Now I’m sure everyone understands asuras very clearly. After this when you see two men fighting, you will know they are asuras. When you see four men quarrelling, they are also asuras. Families feuding with families are family asuras, country battling with country are country asuras, and world systems warring with world systems make world asuras. Day in and day out the asura relentlessly battles over even the smallest affairs. In his heart he doesn’t fear death. "I’ll kill you and be victorious," he plots. "Ah, if you kill me, then just wait! When I’m reborn, I’ll come and kill you."

There is another asura you may not recognize. He is the heavenly asura, who, with his heavenly soldiers and generals, makes war on the Jade Emperor. Catholicism teaches that asuras are devils, and the devil and God fight it out all the time. Asura devils use guerrilla war tactics, so that every-time the heaven army arrives, the asuras aren’t there. They appear, disappear, and reappear, always running off, so there is much war but no victory.

The male asura is extremely ugly. The features of his face grow together and merge in a very unattractive way. One may be born with little ears and huge eyes. Another may be endowed with a vast nose and two chins. In general, the asura’ s appearance is so offensive that no one can bear to look at him. Women especially upon seeing one immediately lose interest.

The asura woman, however, is born with unsurpassed beauty. The Jade Emperor, although he was a God, still hadn’t cut off his desire, and he used to roam occasionally in the desire heavens. One day in a desire heaven he saw an exquisite asura woman who happened to be the daughter of the asura king. Infatuated at first sight, he desired to have an affair, and went to the asura king and told him of his fondness for the daughter. The asura king consented to give his daughter to the Jade Emperor in marriage.

The Jade Emperor had great respect for his father–in–law. When the asura king came to his heaven to visit, he called out his heavenly troops and generals to welcome the king. The asura king, however, was jealous and suspicious, always assuming everyone harbored evil motives. No matter how one approached him, he became afflicted. If someone was good at something, he produced even fiercer jealousy, especially if that person were better at it than he. So when the king saw the retinue sent out by the Jade Emperor, he thought it was a protest demonstration of some kind, and was vexed in his heart, although he didn’t say anything at the time.

The Jade Emperor, who greatly enjoyed hearing Dharma, found a holy man in the world who spoke sutras, and every day went to listen. He went so often that eventually his asura wife got suspicious and complained, "Every day you listen to sutras, listen to sutras, listen to sutras. You wouldn’t happen to be listening to women sutras, would you?" She was very jealous and mistrustful. "Next time you go to hear sutras, may I go with you?"

"What do you want to go there for, woman?" growled the Emperor, "The place I go is a pure place for cultivators of the way, it’s certainly not a place for you to go."

Hearing this, the asura woman became really suspicious, and was sure that there was more to this affair than the Emperor was revealing. "If you are actually doing what you say," she said, "If there is nothing shady in your conduct, then why do you refuse to allow me to accompany you?"

The next day when the Jade Emperor climbed into his palace to fly off to hear sutras, the asura woman used her spiritual power and secretly hid herself in the palace. When the Jade Emperor arrived in the world and the holy man began to speak, she emerged from the palace. The Jade Emperor, very unhappy to see her, took his lotus whip and hit her with it. "What are you doing here, woman?" he demanded.

His beautiful wife examined the assembly and said, "Look at all these women! Is this why you were afraid to have me come along? You never told me there were all these women here. What kind of muddled affairs are you involved in!" Thereupon she marched off to see her father, the asura king. "Daddy," she whined, "This Jade Emperor doesn’t follow the rules. He goes to hear women sutras!"

"Very well." said the asura king, "I’ll make war on the Jade Emperor and get you a good husband." He called out his army and went to the heaven of the Jade Emperor to fight. In the ensuing battles, the Jade Emperor and his army got so bound up, that every-time there was a fray, the asuras won. Finally, in desperation, the Jade Emperor went to see the Buddha. "Please, Compassionate One," he said, "I can’t find a way to conquer the asuras, can you help?"

The Buddha replied, "That’s really easy," and taught the Emperor to say "Mahaprajnaparamita".

The Jade Emperor flew back to his heaven and instructed his soldiers and generals, and soon, reciting "Mahaprajnaparamita", they attained great wisdom. Then using this wisdom they reviewed their strategy and were able to defeat the stupid asura king.

Asuras, men, and gods, are the three good paths of rebirth. Hells, hungry ghosts, and animals are the three bad paths. All sentient beings go from one path to another. When their conduct is good, they establish merit and virtue. Merit and virtue is established by cultivating the five precepts and the ten good karma paths. The five precepts prohibit killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants. The ten good practices are the opposite of the ten bad karma paths. These ten are, killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, which are done by the body; greed, hatred, and delusion, which arise in the mind and harsh speech false speech, slander, and idle prattle which are born in the mouth.

Through cultivating the five precepts, the ten good karma paths, and taking refuge with the Triple Jewel, you can leave the six paths. First, perhaps, you will be born in a heaven. Being born in a heaven is not release from the six paths of rebirth, but bit by bit, if you increase your merit and virtue, you can reach the stage of Arhat, Bodhisattva, and finally, the accomplishment of Buddhahood,

If you commit offenses and crimes, these errors will cause you to course in the remaining three bad paths. Just as people in the world go from place to place, one day making a trip to Australia, another day journeying through Europe, the next day going to Asia, the day after that flying to Africa, and later on coming to America, thus traversing the five great continents, so one moves in the six paths, going from country to country, city to city, and village to village.

You think, "traveling not so bad!" I agree that it’s not bad, but if you run off to the hells, there may be no way to get back and find your original home. This is very dangerous. The six paths are man’s long term travel in birth and death. If you cultivate and accomplish Buddhahood, you are able to go back to your Turning in the wheel of the six paths, you constantly plant causes and reap fruits. For instance, yesterday when I arrived, I said to the host’s dog. "Hey, how’d you get to be a dog? Come on, you can tell me. Go ahead and talk." The dog tried to speak but couldn’t, and since he couldn’t talk, he tried to cry, but he couldn’t do that either. All he could do was make his dog sound. Do you think this is suffering or not?

I have a disciple who said, "He’s a dog because he made a vow." Now really, what use is it to vow to be a dog? If you make vows, they should be to save sentient beings, to help them. But now, all this dog can do is watch the door.

Plant a horse cause, get a horse result. Sow a deer cause, reap a deer fruit. Whatever the animal, it has planted the causes to be that animal. You plant a seed and reap a fruit. This disciple said of the dog, "It’s his cause and effect and he’s forgotten that he made the vow." Making vows and planting causes can’t be described in the same way. You make a vow because you want to accomplish something. You plant causes out of ignorance. Plant a dog cause and get a dog result; sow a human cause, and reap a human fruit. Cause, cause; effect, effect.

Today we have come together to hear Buddhadharma, because in the past we wished to have this fruit. I have very deep causal connections with all of you. I recognize you as old acquaintances, and I don’t know how many times I’ve seen you before. Although I’ve forgotten your names, I recognize you. I see, "Oh, that one’s come," and, "Ah, he’s here," but I don’t know the names. My memory isn’t good. As to whether you remember or not, each of you can ask yourself. With each of you I have many causes.

I see you, and believe all of you will accomplish the Buddha path. That is, unless you don’t want to be Buddhas...If you want to be Buddhas, I now make a vow. I vow that I will wait until all of you have first accomplished Buddhahood before I do. If you don’t accomplish Buddhahood, I also won’t accomplish Buddhahood. I made this vow in the past, I now make this vow, and in the future I shall make this vow: one who sees my face, hears my name, or hears me speak, will certainly accomplish Buddhahood. However, he must want to accomplish Buddhahood. One person thinks, "I won’t be a Buddha; I want to be a dog." Do what you want; I don’t care. But I hope you don’t want to go that path. Goodbye."

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