The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.116)

2019 • 11 50 the Buddha had all already been transformed; the affinities those people had with the Buddha had been established in their past lives. However, the Buddha also formed affinities with many people for the future. This is why today when we hear the Buddhadharma we feel joyful and give rise to a wish to learn the Buddha’s teachings. This is called having an affinity. “(Lying) between the twin sala trees, he was about to enter Parinirvana. ” The place where the Buddha entered Parinirvana was underneath the twin sala trees. “Sala” is a tree name, which means “firm”. The shape of this tree is described as follows: “In each of the four directions it has two branches; each pair of branches includes one flourishing and one withered. The upper roots overlap with one another, and the lower roots are connected.” The twin trees have branches that extend in four directions; on the same tree, one branch has lush leaves, yet the other one is withered. These are the characteristics of the twin sala trees. The Buddha chose the sala trees as the place to enter Parinirvana because the tree symbolizes “expressing the four virtues and destroying the eight inverted views”. The “four virtues” are the Buddha’s virtues, and the “eight inverted views” are the stubborn prejudices of sentient beings. Sometimes, the more we try to explain the Dharma, the more profound it seems. Only by applying the spirit of the Dharma in our daily living can we truly benefit from it. If we simply study characters on paper, it will be like drilling into wood: the deeper the drill goes, the harder it is to pull out. Therefore, in learning the Buddha’s teachings we should start from what we can easily understand and put it into practice in our daily life. We should not get stuck in the words, trying to understand the teachings only through the texts. The virtue of firm and never-changing resolve The Buddha is replete in four virtues: the first is “permanence”, the second is “joy”, the third is “self”, and the fourth is “purity”. Only through the practice of virtue can we reach attainment. If we wish to attain “permanence, joy, self, and purity”, we must put in effort to temper our body and mind so as to manifest our inner refinement in our external conduct; what we attain through this is virtue. The Buddha was able to be replete in these four virtues because he spent a very long time cultivating body and mind; his spiritual practice was not limited to just one lifetime, but his merits and virtues were accumulated over infinite lifetimes. Only then was he able to manifest his intrinsic nature. Permanence means never changing; not only does one act with firm and unwavering resolve in this lifetime, but will also do so in future lifetimes. This is called “the virtue of permanence”. “Nirvana” does not refer to death, but to permanent tranquility. In other words, one is constantly at peace without acting