The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.110)

2019 • 05 44 harma WITHVOWS ASVAST AS THE UNIVERSE The Buddha taught for 49 years, and of his substantial body of teachings, there are, in particular, three sutras with teachings that we as Buddhist practitioners should be very familiar with, understand, and apply in our daily living. The first one is the Avatamsaka Sutra . It is the mother of all sutras, because it records the first lectures the Buddha gave after he attained Buddhahood. These teachings were meant for the Bodhisattvas and heavenly beings, as the contents were incomprehensible to humans at that time. The teachings, delivered by the Buddha over 21 days, described the state of an enlightened being. These teachings were later compiled into the Avatamsaka Sutra by Nagarjuna Bodhisattva. The Buddha’s teachings all have their roots in this sutra, which is why the Avatamsaka Sutra is referred to as the mother of all sutras. The second of these essential sutras is the Lotus Sutra . Some say that it is the Lotus Sutra that leads to Buddhahood. That is to say, if you want to attain Buddhahood, we must carry out the spirit of this sutra. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is called the king of sutras. The third sutra we need to learn and put into practice is the Surangama Sutra , which can activate our wisdom. This sutra, whose subject is the mind, teaches us how to return to our true nature. We lose ourselves because our minds are confused, and when our minds are confused, we lose touch with our conscience. Without guidance from our conscience, everything we do creates bad karma and produces afflictions. It is therefore important that we delve into the Surangama Sutra to awaken our wisdom. The Lotus Sutra is called the king of sutras. In fact, it can also open up our wisdom. It is not as abstruse as the Avatamsaka Sutra , which is centred on how great Bodhisattvas reach and attain Buddhahood and work to enlighten all living beings. The Lotus Sutra focuses on how we humans can achieve Buddhahood in this human world. To become a Buddha, for humans and Bodhisattvas alike, we must eliminate our afflictions to awaken our wisdom. Hence, the Lotus Sutra embodies the spirit of the Avatamsaka Sutra and leads into the Surangama Sutra . This is why the Lotus Sutra is the king of all sutras. The "Sutra of Infinite Meanings" Before the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra , he first taught the Sutra of Infinite Meanings . Among all Buddhist sutras, I particularly value the Sutra of Infinite Meanings . It contains the essence of the Lotus Sutra , and the latter can be seen as an elaboration on the former. The Sutra of Infinite Meanings tells us to follow the Bodhisattva Path to awaken our wisdom, which is equal to that of the Buddha, and not to overlook our original, pure nature. It also teaches us the way to educate and transform living beings. In fact, the spirit of Tzu Chi is the spirit of the Sutra of Infinite Meanings . In the “Chapter on Virtue” of this sutra, a passage describes the wisdom of the Bodhisattvas: “With their wisdom as brilliant and impartial as the sun and the moon, they apply skilful means according to the proper