The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

2020 • 04 50 them to you. All I can do is try to use words to describe the Buddha’s spiritual state, although in truth, this cannot be done. Not only is there no way to describe the Buddha’s state of mind; I am not able to fully describe even my own point of view. What I can truly express is only one part out of a million. That is why it is said, “Words cannot fully express it.” Yet, if we can be mindful in observing and experiencing, we will realize that although the Buddha’s physical body entered Parinirvana , his spirit still permeates the universe. Is there any corner of the world where his Dharmakaya 1 does not exist? As long as we mindfully observe, we can find “the world in a flower and the Tathagata in a leaf”; the Buddha’s Dharmakaya , the true principles, exists in every leaf and every blade of grass. “He summarized the essence of the Dharma for his disciples.” Even nearing death, the Buddha wholeheartedly continued his mission to expound the Dharma to his disciples with the loving and compassionate heart of a parent. Because it was already the middle of the night and the Buddha did not have long before entering into extinction, he was only able to say a few simple words. Thus, he summarized the spirit of the Dharma that he had been teaching for 49 years into concise and easy-to-remember principles that everyone could put into practice in their lives. We should emulate the Buddha’s breadth of mind; even when he was about to enter Parinirvana , he did not forget to remind his disciples to be mindful and did not forget to encourage everyone to be conscientious about practising and upholding precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. Precepts are the rules and Samadhi is having a focused mind; only by observing precepts and practising Samadhi can one develop wisdom. We must remind ourselves to be vigilant and to deeply reflect on ourselves. Although the chapters in the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings are short, they convey the essence of the Dharma. Because of this, we must mindfully comprehend the Buddha’s original intent, so that we will not fail to live up to our own aspirations of taking up the monastic life or engaging in spiritual cultivation as lay practitioners. (To be continued in the next issue) * This article is extracted from the book “Reminders under the Sala Trees – A Commentary on the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings”. harma 1 The Dharma-body, the essence of truth realized by the Buddha.